Dark Sand
by KaitheHotHead1
Summary: It's been two years since Nya, Jay, Cole and Kai escaped Nightfall and returned to their families. But Misako has other plans, and will go to extreme lengths to bring her son home. And it requires a bit of insanity, magic, and an artificial Turan. But Misako has put their lives in danger. Sequal to When Ninjago Falls to Nightfall. PLOT HOLE FIXED, STORY COMPLETED
1. Hunting

The forest of Ninjago had been recently illuminated with the newborn light of Day. With Dawn ending weeks before, it finally allowed the Sun to peek over the horizon, so that the next fifteen years of Day could begin again.

Beneath the trees of the Ninjago forest, the leaves shook by the speed of the small female Turan sprinting by.

The creature was no older than a young girl, with humanlike brown hair blowing past her as she dashed along the ground, her teeth clamped over the body of a dead bird and its babies. Surely this would be enough to feed a family within her tribe.

Perhaps this time her father will appreciate her efforts instead of tossing her aside, like he normally does. Perhaps this time, he'll have a speck of pride for his daughter.

It was wishful thinking, but it was the only wish the Turan had, and she'd hang onto it for as long as possible.

Increasing her speed, she approached her tribe and her camp, and sped through the entrance. She ignored the stares of the other kids and adults, and immediately went up to the ruler of the tribe.

The ruler sat in his throne, as usual, and looked down at his daughter with scorn.

Also, as per usual.

"Father," the little Turan said, standing to her feet.

"Daughter." said the tall, male Turan in front of the girl. "Where were you?"

His voice was curt, and stern, as if it was spectacularly hard for him to keep his long talons from scratching his daughter's face.

"I was...out hunting."

At that, the girl spit out the dead mother bird into the dirt, it's blood soaking it's feathers from the bite marks she had left.

Her father stared at the unmoving creature, saying nothing. It was as if the entire tribe had held their breath, waiting for what he had to say.

"...hunting?" he finally uttered. "You mean, what I told you exactly not to do until you were allowed to?

"Father, I was careful. Really. And I did everything right. I didn't hurt myself. I did what I was taught when I knocked the nest out of the tree. I didn't climb, so I was in no danger of falling. I didn't use my nails, so they couldn't have fallen off or scraped myself. I did what I was told."

Her father said nothing in response.

A fire rose up in the young girl at the lack of words, and she felt herself become angry.

"Now," the girl said, breaking the silence. "Can you calm down, and quit being no fun? Why can't you just be proud that I got some food for you? Huh? Or is it that since you're the leader, you're better than anyone here?"

A small intake of breath was drawn in, the tribe gasping all at once.

Nobody, especially not his daughter, talked to the Overlord in such a challenging tone.

The Overlord stared at his daughter, furious. "Misako, daughter, if you raise your voice at me again-"

"Then what, Father?" young Misako said. "You're gonna send me to my room?"

Misako didn't know what exactly she was doing, and knew for a fact that her father could do much more than punish her. The Overlord could take a knife and slit the throat of any normal Turan standing, and watching, right now. It wouldn't be a problem at all.

Not for the ruler of the entire tribe.

But miraculously, the Overlord did nothing. He merely stalked away, but not before giving his daughter a cold stare with his deep, dark purple eyes.

* * *

"You shouldn't have done that."

"What? He deserved it!"

Misako yelped as the small 'brush' caught another tangle in her hair. "Mother, can you please be more gentle?"

Misako's mother, Serena, laughed. "I'm trying already, Misako."

"Well don't _try_ at my head so hard. You're gonna yank out all my hair, and that's my favorite feature."

"I know, Mimi." Serena replied, using the nickname only the most special people in her life used. Her father didn't even know of the nickname, much less bothered to think of one for his daughter.

"As I was saying," Serena continued. "You shouldn't have stood up to your father like that. Nor yelled at him. You're very lucky- we all are- that he didn't do anything about it."

"I know," Misako said, silently agreeing. "I just...it's like he's actually incapable of being proud of me. Loving something other than himself. And don't take this the wrong way, Mother, but he only married you because he was forced to. He doesn't love us."

Serena sighed. "I'm sorry, baby." she murmured. "I wish things were different, too."

After going through the last tangle in her daughter's hair, Serena turned Misako around to face her. Misako could see the joyful glint in her eye before Serena even said anything.

"I want to show you something," was all her mother said, before taking her young daughter's hand and leading her to the other room.

Inside was Serena's bedroom, a mat of straw and mud with a big clump of grass as a pillow fashioned into a bed.

At the end of the room was a big wooden wardrobe, which, according to Serena, had been crafted many Nights ago and handed down for generations. Misako had never seen the inside of it, or it's contents.

Her heart leaped when the doors finally flew open, revealing to her at long last what it held.

Vials of blue, purple, green, and other colors of liquid sat on the wardrobe's shelves, bubbling and popping. Smoke had risen out of some, while others lay completely still.

"What is this?" Misako asked, absolutely amazed.

"There's a legend, Misako, a very old one, that long ago, one day was only twenty-four hours. Do you know what they say changed that?"

"What?"

"...magic."

"You mean that's..."

"Yes. Magic spells. Magic potions. Magic itself." Serena said, speaking in a soft and wondrous tone. "And I know how to use it."

"What do you use it for?"

"Well," Serena said. "There's what's called a Tracking Spell, when you can just pour some of this..." Serena gestures to the labeled green vial. "On anything related to the person you're trying to find."

Misako's mother points to a labeled blue vial. "This can change the light of the sky from dark to light, or light to dark. Very, very powerful. Your skin or any part of your body can never make contact with this liquid. For this vial, you have to take a thick stick and dip it in. Wave it, and the sky will darken or lighten, depending on the color it already is. It's called 'Light and Dark Magic'."

Misako points to the others. "What about them?"

"Those are ingredients to make other potions and spells." Serena answered. "I haven't found them yet. But I will. And when I do, it's going to be very, very useful."

Serena leans in, and whispers in her daughter's ear, "My mother, your grandmother, told me that it's possible to even make a potion that brings a being to life."

"What?" Misako asked, astonished. "But...that's not possible!"

"We don't know that yet."

"So does that mean that if I find it, I can bring you back to life when you die?" Misako asked, excited.

But Serena's face falls at her daughter's words. "Misako, it's extremely important not to let magic take over your life and solve all your problems. There's a reason why no one knows I have this. I trust you, Misako, to use this wisely after I'm gone. Don't let it be a reliance. It'll come with a price. I guarantee you."

Misako nods slowly. "Okay." she responds. "I will, Mother."

Serena smiles and hugs her daughter tightly.

"I love you, so much, Misako. And I will do everything to protect and love you. I promise."

"I love you, too, Mother." Misako replies, tears threatening to fall. "And I know you love me too."

 **I'M BAAA-AACK!**

 **SORRY FOR BEING A COUPLE DAYS LATE, HOPE I DIDN'T DISAPPOINT!**

 **SO THIS IS A LOOK-IN ON MISAKO'S LIFE AS A YOUNG GIRL, AND HER RELATIONSHIPS...HOPE IT'S SUITABLE!**

 **THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING: Loki God of Evil; Kairocksrainbow FOR REVIEWING ON MY LAST CHAPTER, AND TO Anonymous7! REALLY THANKFUL THAT YOU GUYS ENJOY MY STORY...STAY TUNED!**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	2. Alone

**BedazzleDewdrops: LOL LOVED YOUR REVIEW(S)! SO APPARENTLY, REVIEWS ARE JUST WEIRD IN THE SENSE OF ACTUALLY SHOWING UP. IT TAKES A WHILE, I GUESS. BUT TRUST ME, I GET THEM, AND APPRECIATE THEM. THANKS! :)**

 **Lehab94: :) THANKS!**

 **HI!** **SO SORRY FOR BEING LATE...WISH SCHOOL WOULDN'T BE SO DEMANDING, HUH?**

 **ANYWAY, FOR MY LAST STORY, I UPDATED IT AND FIXED THE GRAMMAR AND SOME PLOT HOLES. I ALSO DECIDED TO DELETE THOSE BOLD CAPITOL NOTES AT THE BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS OF THE CHAPTERS, LIKE WHAT THESE ARE.**

 **I ALSO CHANGED A BIT OF THE PLOT; THE BOYS AND GIRLS ARE NO LONGER SEPARATED TO THE DARK ISLAND AND** **OUROBOROS; THEY'RE ALL ON ONE ISLAND.**

 **JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW.**

 **ENJOY!**

Nya grabbed another small twig from below her and tossed it over. She watched it fall to the ground far below her, a small _crack_ echoing back at her. She looked back up, looking at the large island in front of her, with the rows of trees, and the millions of leaves shaking in the wind.

The village behind her was bustling with energy. She could hear it. The shouts and yells echoed back at her, breaking the silence, and disturbing the atmosphere. Nya tried to ignore it, but couldn't. They were too loud, and it was all too reminding.

She had to go back sometime.

 _Just not now._ she told herself.

Nya needed a break from it. From everything. Desperately.

If she were to go back, she'd have to go back to Kai, and Jay, and Cole, and her family. Not to mention, she'd have to go back to her village.

Since that day, two years ago, when they'd all had shown up in that broken boat on the beach, and a funeral for Zane was held, there was a sort of barricade between the four friends. They hung out less and less, and they spoke to each other even more seldom. It was like they'd changed, and something was blocking them from wanting to fix it, or even figure out what it was that changed between them.

Nya sighed.

And if she were to go back, she'd have to deal with the Festival, that everybody was required to help with.

The Festival was held annually, on the very day that they had all arrived on the Dark Island. It was supposed to be a celebration for successfully escaping Night, and being with family.

But now it seemed that Nya was disconnected from all of that. She felt disconnected from everything.

And sometimes, Nya couldn't help but wonder if it was her fault.

She had, after all, been the one to cause everything that happened to them. It had been because of her that they'd been stranded on Ninjago, and traumatized them all of the dangers of Night. Cole had only been nine years old. They'd only been sixteen. They'd all been torn away from their families, and one of their closest friends died because of her.

Have they still not forgiven her?

Was it because of her that they'd been torn apart?

* * *

"Nya! Hurry up and come out of the bathroom! We're waiting for you!"

"Be patient Kai, I'm just brushing my hair."

"Hair isn't _that_ important!"

"Says the man who spends about twenty minutes every morning on theirs!"

Kai scowls at his sister, though she couldn't see him. He walks away from the door and into the living room. He sits himself in the couch, and crosses his arms. He looks over at his parents, who are nonchalantly reading the paper.

"Why are you guys so patient with her?" Kai asked, annoyed. His parents looked up and smirk.

"Why are you so impatient with her?" Michael, the father, responded.

Kai rolls his eyes, and immediately after, Nya opens the bathroom door and comes out.

She wears a short sundress with her hair hanging down in neat curls, and some makeup on her face. Her slight tan complements her dress. The family raises their eyebrows.

"You look like you're going on a date." Kai remarks plainly. Nya narrows her eyes at him playfully.

"Relax, Kai." Timbue said. "She just wants to look nice for the public. Not that I blame her."

Michael smiles and kisses his wife wordlessly. "Well then I guess we should be going then." Michael said, and opens the door for his family. "After you."

* * *

The Festival was amazing and brilliantly lit, just as the year before. Emanating from the festival rides were screams and cheers of delight, and cheesy tunes from the speakers. Under tents were buttered corn, cakes, pretzels, chicken legs, coleslaw, soda, water, and cotton candy. Next to the tents were wooden tables, filled with families smiling and laughing.

It looked absolutely perfect.

After glancing around, Nya spotted the backs of Jay and Cole, but said nothing. She was unsure if she should.

Would she be able to deal with another awkward time with people she used to consider her best friends?

But it didn't seem she had a choice, as Kai caught their eye and waved them over. Nya's heart lurched in her throat.

"Okay, we're going to be by the tables. Go have fun with your friends." Timbue said to her children. Before checking to see if they heard her, she and her husband headed for the tables behind them.

Nya had barely heard them. She was too busy thinking about ways she could get out of this, or how she could ever keep up a conversation with them.

She barely really knew them anymore.

Once she looked up to find Jay and Cole in front of them, she faked the best smile she could manage.

Since the last time she'd really seen them, their appearances had really changed. Young Cole was no longer young anymore. He'd grown at least a couple inches, and his face had really thinned out. His puffed, jet-black, curly hair was now neatly cut with some thin bangs over his forehead. If Nya was being completely honest, she'd say young Cole looked grown-up and handsome.

Jay had barely changed at all. His auburn straight hair was nearly the same, only longer, and his face was just a little paler. His blue eyes still held the same mystery and humor as it always did, and he'd grown several inches, just like his brother.

"Woah, Nya." Jay was saying playfully. "Where you going? On a date?"

"That's what I thought too!" Kai exclaimed, and he and Jay had a big laugh.

Why was it so easy for her brother to act like everything was okay?

"Haha. Very funny." Nya deadpanned.

"Just joking." Jay replied, putting his hands up in surrender.

Nya turned to Cole.

"You look grown up." she said, and Cole rolled his eyes.

"I wish people would quit saying that." he responded.

"Well you do."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Cole, be polite." Jay reprimanded his eleven-year-old brother. He turned to Kai and Nya.

"Sorry. He's usually better than this."

 _Now he's talking to us like we're adults and we just met. Not like we've known Cole since he was five._ Nya thought. _Things really have changed..._

* * *

For the rest of the Festival, it seemed that it was Kai who kept up the conversation and away the awkwardness. It seemed he was impeccable with pretending there was nothing wrong or different with them.

He probably had a lot of practice, of course, with hiding his heritage as a Turan.

After the fifth ride that they'd been on together, Nya pretended she had to go to the bathroom.

She got to the stall and locked herself in. She sat down on the bowl and put her face in her hands, feeling the tears leaking into her palms. She could feel the mascara coming off, but really, it didn't matter.

Her life was falling apart. It had been for awhile.

She's lost her friends, and ever since they'd escaped from Ninjago, everybody in school had looked at her differently. They'd whispered about her, and glanced at her more times than she could count. Boys didn't want to come near her, because they thought that since her brother was a Turan that she'd be too, even though that wasn't even the case.

She had no one.

She was all alone.

 **I KNOW. NOT THE BEST.**

 **BUT WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED.**

 **AND AS I PROMISED, LLOYED WILL DEFINITELY BE IN THIS STORY. JUST...MAYBE NOT HOW YOU THINK HE'LL BE.**

 **HOPE THIS CHAPTER WAS OKAY. IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO GIVE THEM.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	3. The Vial

**BedazzleDewdrops: :) THANKS!**

 **Anonymous7: THANKS! AND I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND...I'M PUBLISHING MY CHAPTERS SO LATE BECAUSE OF SCHOOL *SMH***

 **MissPurple1234: WOW, THANKS! YOUR REVIEW MADE MY DAY...REALLY GLAD YOU LIKED MY LAST STORY!**

 **HI ALL! SO SORRY FOR PUBLISHING SO LATE...I SHOULD REALLY MAKE UP A SCHEDULE. IT DIDN'T HELP I HAD A LITTLE WRITER'S BLOCK...**

 **THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING...MAKES ME HAPPY!**

 **ENJOY!**

 _"I am freeing you. You don't deserve to be here. You don't deserve this life."_

 _Kai looked at Misako, his eyes wide. "What are you talking about?" he asked, sounding exasperated. "What life?"_

 _Misako looked back at her son, sadness creeping into her. She had to tell him what her father was planning._

 _"My father is plotting to free you and then turn you all into his slaves. If you remain here, you can never leave. You will remain in the same fate as I." she replied, and Kai's eyes squinted with sadness and sympathy. Misako cut through the next rope that bound her son, the rope that her father had tied around him and the others. Kai stopped her, grabbing his mother's hands._

 _"No, no...stop," he pleaded softly, looking into her eyes. "Misako, what does he do?"_

 _"Kai, it does not matter. You are in danger. I can not let you stay. Especially..." Misako stopped herself, letting her voice drift off. But she could tell Kai knew what she was thinking._

 _She must free him, especially since Kai is her son. She had to protect him. She had to save him from the degrading, solitary maze that was the Overlord. She had to save him from everything that she endured._

 _No son of hers would ever go through it. Never._

 _"There is a boat by the Pond of Shimmers." Misako finally said. "Take it. The lake leads to the rapids. Sail through it, and you will be in the open ocean. Take north, and eventually you will end up at the Dark Island."_

 _It hurt Misako to help her son get away from her, but it was the only way to also get him away from the Overlord._

 _"But..." Kai whispered, looking down at his mother. Tears dotted his eyes. "I don't want to leave without you. You've been away my whole life. I don't want to spend any more time like that, with you not around."_

 _Misako placed her arm on Kai's shoulder and smiled at him. "I have always been around, Kai. And I always will." she told him softly._

 _"I will always be your mother, and nothing will change that."_

* * *

Misako's eyes opened slowly, blinking away rapidly the tears in her eyes. The dream was recurring, and every time it came, it made more sadness creep inside of her more and more. She knew it was more than a dream, but also a memory she had wanted to bury away in the back of her mind.

She missed her son direly. Two years had been too long without him there. She'd only connected with him for awhile, but she knew that she loved her son, and he loved her. It was hard to let go.

Those last words he had said in the dream still stuck in her mind.

 _"I don't want to spend any more time like that, with you not around."_

She didn't want to spend any more time away from him either.

Swinging her legs over the bed of hay, Misako got up and walked out of her small hut.

The air, as it was typically during Night, was sharp and icy. The wind blew against the leaves, shaking them slowly. The area around her was empty, with no light in the dirt and wooden cabins that her species inhabited. Howls and shouts were heard in the distance, no doubt the same creatures. Misako stepped quickly on the dirt below her feet, and towards the smaller cabin on the other side of the camp.

This cabin was run down, nearly dilapidated. The wood was teared, and the dirt old and dry. The steps creaked as Misako stepped on them to walk into the abandoned cabin.

It was dusty inside, but less old-looking as the exterior. The floor was swept, and candles lit up each room.

After coming to the right room, Misako pushed the half-closed door open to reveal a well-lit and neat room, with vials of all colors burning and bubbling on different tables.

This run-down and abandoned cabin was not as unimportant as it looked. This was her mother's cabin, the one that held all of her magic and spells. No one has entered it since a few months after Misako's mother was killed by her husband the Overlord.

Misako grabbed a pair of homemade goggles and placed them over her eyes to protect herself against the chemicals. She looked at each labeled bottle closely, admiring and studying how each one appeared.

She remembered the formulas perfectly from the day that her mother explained it to her. She remembered the spells.

Misako picked up the blue and green vials. The Tracking Spell. Light and Dark Magic.

She glanced at the other vials, bubbling vigorously over the small burners. Carefully, Misako poured some of the blue vial into a purple one, and a puff of smoke emanated from the vial. Misako coughed.

 _I should be careful with this._ she thought to herself, and put the vials down.

Her mother had only come up with three real spells that proved to work. Misako was determined to find more, and to use that to get her son back.

She'd been thinking of this, and plotting everything for the past two years. She only wanted to get her son back, and frankly, she no longer cared about the consequences.

Kai was right. Her recurring dreams were right. They were trying to tell her something.

She can't spend one more minute away from her son than she has to. She has to find him and bring him back. She's lost too much time away from him, and she can't handle it anymore.

Kai needs her. She knows it. She needs him.

Misako has become obsessed with her child, and she is going to use magic to bring him back, no matter what the price of her magic is.

She goes into the wardrobe and selects an unlabeled vial. One that wasn't there when her mother first showed her the stash.

The contents in this vial was by Misako's own creation. It'd taken years to perfect it, but she'd done it. Misako's stomach tingled as she prepared to actually use it.

Misako walks slowly over to the walk-in closet next to her, and opens the door. Inside lay a grown human body, covered in a white sheet, and a slight stench surrounding it. Misako put up her mask to clog the smell, and carried the stretcher into the room.

She prepared the vial, carefully shaking it and letting it cool. Once the bubbling had calmed down, Misako looked at the body with the white sheet.

Now came the weird part.

She pulled the white sheet from the body, and held it's head up. Then carefully, she poured the vial into the mouth, watching it go down the throat. She lowered the head and waited.

Suddenly, the man burst up, alive, and coughing. Misako stared at him, aghast at what she had just done.

 _It worked. It really worked._

The man looked around the room, a fearful and curious look in his eyes. Then he spotted Misako, staring at him, wordlessly. The man tried to speak, but couldn't.

"Your vocal cords need time to recompose themselves. For the past two years, it's been decomposing along with your body. It'll take awhile to rebuild itself." Misako explained.

The man nodded. Misako gave the man a writing tool and told him to write what he was thinking.

He looked down at the table and scratched words into the wood.

 _Wot happened_

"You were killed by a creature called the Overlord. My father." Misako replied. "Two years ago."

 _Thot i'd be_ _decomposed_

"You would have, if I had not placed you into a more closed environment. Your decomposition had halted. That's why your ears work, but not your voice. Some of your tissue and nerves have been decomposed, so you may not feel or move some things."

The man nodded slowly, and wrote again.

 _Why you bring me back_

Misako sighed. If she was going to do this, he needed to know everything.

"Because you are the only one who can help me get my son back. When you were alive, you were exceptionally smart. You could do so much. You can help me."

 _Where he?_

"He's far away, on a land called the Dark Island. I can't get there without help. I will nurse you back to regular health, then we will begin."

The man nodded again, then looked at Misako again.

 _What was my name?_

Misako knelt down and looked at the man in the eye. They were bloodshot and shrunken, but it was still the same eyes that she remembered. The same eyes that she fell in love with.

"Your name was Wu. You were my husband. The boy I am asking you to help me retrieve is your son."

 **AGAIN, SORRY FOR PUBLISHING LATE. IT'S BEEN SO BUSY, WHAT WITH GRADUATION AND STUFF COMING UP...**

 **THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND REVIEWING :) :) :) SEE YOU SOON!**

 **-KTH1**


	4. Lost Trust

Nya yawned quietly as she sat at her desk, staring at the teacher as he vaguely taught his daily lesson. Usually, Nya was on top of her work and always found a way to ace a challenging class, but today, she couldn't bring herself to concentrate. Her mind felt like it was sinking, and it was all that she could think about.

She knew she should be paying attention. The finals and the May SAT's were coming up, and so was the end of her junior year. That was probably what the teacher was droning on about, and why even the people who usually fell asleep in the back of the class were straining to listen.

The final bell ringing loudly through the room startled Nya, making her jump. Quickly, she grabbed her things and dashed out of the room, feeling her heart race. For some reason, she had to get out of the school.

Her feet carried her quickly across the hallway, and nearly ran over the woman in front of her.

"Sorry, ma'am." Nya quickly apologized, looking down. The woman turned around, and when Nya saw who it was, she immediately relaxed. The two of them laughed.

"'Ma'am?' I do _not_ look that old!"

"Oh well Dani, I do apologize!" Nya joked teasingly to her peer. "That extra weight you've gained must've gotten me confused with a forty-year old woman!"

"Oh, shut up!" Danielle responded, laughing and slapping Nya.

Danielle Becking is Nya's best friend, who she met when Nya had arrived on the Dark Island. Dani had been the only one who sat with Nya at lunch when Nya's other friends had left her. Now it was just the two of them.

The friends began to walk. "So…" Nya teased, nudging Dani. "I heard you had a date. Speak."

"Nya! Not in school."

"No one will hear."

Dani rolled her eyes to the back of her head, and sat down on a bench. "Fine," she said. "But only because I know you're gonna keep asking me."

"Yeah, yeah." Nya replied, waving off the comment. "Now spill."

Dani sighed. "Well he took me out to the park," she began. "And we threw a frisbee…"

"Boring!" Nya coughed, and Dani slapped her in the arm.

"Shut up! It was fun!" she said. "Then he took me for a walk, and we just talked. We saw the pond, and he paid the vendor so we could feed the fish."

Nya laughed. "I didn't peg your date as the type to feed fish."

"Well, he's changed since you last hung out with him." Dani replied. "I'm just saying, Jay is a real man."

Nya snorted. "Dani, you've only been dating Jay for less than a year. It's not like you know everything about him."

"And you do?"

Nya rolled her eyes, but was actually pondering it.

It had been almost two weeks since she'd last seen him at the fair. Even then, it was the most awkward encounter she'd had with him, and made her wonder if Dani was right.

 _Do I even know my friends anymore?_ Nya thought, a dropping feeling in her stomach. _Are they even my friends?_

Dani looked at her friend, watching her space out. "Nya? Earth to Nya." Dani enunciated. Nya looked up quickly. "There you are."

"Sorry," Nya muttered, standing up. "I feel really off today. I have to go."

"Where you rushing off to this time?" Dani asked. Nya went silent, and Dani looked at her.

"Another nightmare last night?" she guessed, and Nya nodded silently.

"I'm sorry, Dani." she said softly. "I just need some time alone. I'll come over to your house later."

Dani stared at her in the eye. "Nya, talk to me if there's anything that you need to get off your chest. Come see me. Okay?"

Nya nodded again, feeling horrible to blow off her friend. "I will Dani. Thanks."

"No problem, ma'am."

* * *

The woods were warm, but calm. The only noises were the occasional chirping of birds. Sunbeams filtered through the tree's leaves above, casting bright yellow light on the ground.

Nya walked slowly, taking her time. She knew these woods better than anybody, but it never ceased to amaze her how beautiful it was there. It was peaceful, and an escape from her life. Exactly what she needed.

The sound of a stick cracking in half brought back Nya's attention. Immediately, her instincts kicked in and her nerves heightened. All that ran through her mind were the images of Turans leaping behind her and grabbing her roughly.

 _Keep control Nya._ she scolded herself. _It's probably just an animal._

Footsteps echoed in her ears from behind her. Not hesitating, Nya turned around and jabbed her elbow into the attacker's stomach. Once she heard a thud, she got down quickly on her knees and began punching the figure below her.

Memories and flashbacks rushed through her as she hit. Memories from that mortifying moment when those monsters attempted to break down the door in the Mayor's mansion those years ago.

The pounding that amplified across the small room, the fear that spread between each and every one of them.

Then suddenly Nya realized what she had been punching. Hands blocked her blows, protecting the attacker's face.

When Nya dismounted the figure, she realized that her attacker wasn't an attacker at all.

It was Jay.

"Nya! Calm down!" he cried, still shielding his face. "It's me!"

"Jay." Nya breathed. "What are you doing here?"

Jay got up from the ground and adjusted his jaw. "Dani met with me after you left and told me to follow you. I saw you headed for the woods. Is everything alright?"

"Dani sent you?" Nya asked, rolling her eyes. "I'm not surprised."

Nya tried to walk away, and Jay grabbed her arm. Nya shivered.

It was the first time they'd made contact in two years.

"Nya." Jay said softly. "Is everything okay? Why did Dani send me?"

"It's fine, Jay." Nya replied, somewhat coldly. "Go home."

"Did you have another nightmare?" Jay asked, ignoring Nya's demands. Nya whirled around, her eyes narrowed.

"That's none of your business, Jay. Why do you care?" Nya asked, voice tight.

"Because it _is_ my business." he replied. Jay looked at Nya in the eye. "Look, I know we haven't been on the best terms lately, but as a friend, I want to know what's going on. Why did Dani send me?"

"Because she's _paranoid,_ Jay! You're dating the girl!" Nya yelled. "I just need some time alone! Please!"

"Nya, you've _had_ time alone! A lot!" Jay yelled back. "Tell me what's going on!"

"I'm not telling you _shit_ , Jay." Nya seethed. Jay backed off. "And for the record, _we aren't friends._ You've made that _very_ clear the past couple of years."

"Nya…."Jay began, but Nya scoffed.

"Just leave me the hell alone, Jay." Nya told him coldly. "Go back to your girlfriend. Go back to the things you _really_ care about, which I know is not me."

With that, Nya stalked off into the woods, with Jay watching her, unsure of what to do.

 **Anonymous7: THANKS! AND YES I AM PLANNING A SHIP, BUT I CAN'T TELL YOU FOR CERTAIN IF IT'S GONNA BE JAYA…YOU JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE! ALSO, NYA AND DANI IS AROUND SEVENTEEN, JAY AND KAI PUSHING EIGHTEEN, AND COLE AT ELEVEN. THANKS FOR REVIEWING!**

 **BedazzleDewdrops: LOL…THANKS!**

 **WOW, NYA HAS A NEW BEST FRIEND, WHO'S DATING JAY? AND JAY IS TRYING TO REACH OUT TO NYA, BUT SHE WON'T GIVE HIM A CHANCE…WE ARE JUST GETTING STARTED WITH THE DRAMA!**

 **NEXT CHAPTER WILL GO BACK TO MIMI AND WU…WONDER WHAT'S GOING ON! STAY TUNED, AND PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	5. Nightmare

Blood gleamed on his hand from the deep scratch that stung painfully on his cheek. The old man looked up in terror once again at his brother Garmadon, who stood angrily above him.

"Destroy this house!" Garmadon was yelling. "Destroy everything!"

Wu watched silently and in pain as the creatures tore down his home and everything in their path. They ripped apart the cushions of his couch, and the wood of his table and floors. They pounded into the walls again and again until they came crashing down onto the floor, dust clouds erupting around the small house.

Garmadon stalked over to his brother and immediately kicked him. Wu felt his breath knocked out of his lungs, and he rolled onto his side, coughing.

"You shouldn't have broken the deal, brother." Garmadon seethed above the chaos around them. "Now look around you. Look at your home. Look at what you deserve!"

Garmadon kicked his brother again, and Wu tried to scream, but nothing came out. Instead, a shallow breath full of pain and empty air escaped his lungs, leaving Wu coughing on his knees.

The Turan brother kneeled down next to Wu and whispered into his ear, "Take a look around, Wu. Nobody is here for you. You are all alone. Mother and Father are dead. Your house is falling. And me? I'm long gone. You left me, Wu. You surrendered me, to escape."

"That's not what happened." Wu said, his voice low. "The Overlord has brainwashed you, Garmadon. He's got you under his control. I tried to save you. I tried, but I couldn't do anything. I regret it everyday, brother. I wish I could have done something!"

"No!" Garmadon yelled, and sliced Wu across his arm with his talon. Wu cried out in pain yet again, clutching his arm, blood seeping through his fingers. "No, you lie!"

"I wanted to come back for you!" Wu yelled back. "I waited for you, brother! I waited for you to return! That's what we promised each other that day! Try to remember! Try to remember when we were brothers!"

Garmadon jumped to his feet and kicked Wu again, burying his foot into his stomach, and Wu sobbed into the air.

"You mean nothing to me! You never did, Wu!" Garmadon yelled at Wu, who was trying to catch his breath on the floor. "You deserve to die!"

Garmadon jumped into the air and planted his feet into Wu, hearing a terrible crack in his ribs. Wu sobbed in pain.

"Stop! Stop, please!" begged Wu, tears falling down his cheeks in pain, and sobs escaping his throat. "I beg you brother! Stop!"

As Wu cried, Garmadon sliced his talons into Wu's body, cutting him open, and blood spilling out.

Wu suddenly went quiet.

He flopped down onto the ground, facedown, as blood surrounded his body. He could feel warm blood trickling from his mouth and onto his chin as his senses began to disappear. He could hear his brother's voice telling the Tura Tribe to not stop until everything was destroyed.

Everything.

* * *

Misako jumped as Wu's screams echoed around the house as he burst up from the table, panting and sweating. Immediately, she went over with a cloth, dabbing his forehead and wiping his neck clear of sweat.

"It's okay, Wu." Misako told him over and over. "You're here now. Not there."

Wu groans in pain, bending over and clutching his chest. Misako kneels down next to him, holding his arm.

"Your heart is beating too fast." Misako said. "It's not used to it yet, after not functioning for so long."

Wu grabs his writing pad and a pen nearby, and scribbles words down quickly. Misako looks at it.

 _Make it stop._ _It hurts._

Misako jumps up and runs to the wardrobe. She grabs the labeled vial, pours it into a syringe, and takes it to Wu.

"There's going to be a pinch here." she cautions before sticking the needle into Wu's arm and pressing down on the syringe. Wu could feel a painful stabbing feeling in his arm as the needle was inserted into his vein, and he felt like screaming. He could still feel it even after the needle was extracted, and the dot of blood had been wiped away.

Misako watched as Wu's breathing slowed, and the look of pain eased in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

Wu nodded, writing quietly on paper, _Fine._

She sat next to Wu on the table, watching the hunched-over man catch his breath. Wu looked at her, and wrote on his pad again.

 _What did I see_

"You had a nightmare, Wu." Misako answered. "But it wasn't just a dream. It was a memory. That was how you died."

 _How I died?_ Wu wrote. _Who killed me?_

"Your brother, Garmadon." Misako said.

 _Why?_

"I don't know." she answered. "I wasn't there. But I wish I was."

Wu thought for a second, then tentatively wrote on the paper again.

 _My brother said I had broken a deal. What did he mean?_

Misako inhaled sharply. "The deal." she whispered to herself.

 _You recognize it?_ Wu looked at Misako expectedly.

"When you were alive," Misako explained. "You and my father made a deal. He would not bother you, and you would not harbor anybody who may have been left behind."

 _Someone was in my house?_

"Yes." she breathed. "Five children. Four teenagers, and one little boy."

 _How do you know?_ Wu scribbled, as if begging for answers. _Who was in my house_

"...your son." Misako muttered, but Wu heard her clearly. "He was one of the teens you let in. My father and my family captured them after you helped them escape. After you died."

Wu froze, hearing his heart steadily beating. He slowly wrote on the pad again.

 _I saw my son? Did he know?_

Misako shook her head. "No," she replied softly. "And you couldn't have known. You didn't know I'd given him up, and he didn't know about you."

Wu shook his head, and he felt tears dotting his eyes. He supposed that his tear ducts worked fine now. He wrote, _I should have known my son when I saw him._

 **Anonymous7: OK I WANNA THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP. I HAVE TO BE HONEST…I HAD A WHOLE DIFFERENT PLOT FOR THIS STORY. IT WAS INITIALLY SUPPOSED TO BE TAKEN PLACE ON OUROBORUS, BUT AS I MENTIONED, I TWEAKED THE PLOT OF THE PREVIOUS STORY SO THAT THERE WAS ONLY THE DARK ISLAND. BUT BY THE TIME I'D MADE THE CHANGE, IT WAS TOO LATE TO CHANGE THE TITLE. SO, THE TITLE IS GOING TO BE DARK SAND, AND IT'S NOT GONNA MAKE ANY SENSE. IF YOU ALL WANT ME TO CHANGE IT, HOWEVER, I WILL. BUT PLEASE TELL ME, EITHER THROUGH REVIEW OR PM, IF THAT'D BE BETTER. IF YOU'RE COOL WITH THE TITLE AS IT IS, I'LL LEAVE IT.**

 **...**

 **SORRY FOR THE SHORT CHAPTER. I HOPE YOU LIKED IT! MORE MISAKO AND WU SOON…AND MORE DRAMA…;)**

 **I WILL UPDATE WITHIN ONE WEEEK, MAYBE WITHIN A FEW DAYS. BUT MY 14TH BIRTHDAY IS COMING UP, SO I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PUBLISH FOR A COUPLE DAYS. JUST WANNA LET YOU KNOW!**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	6. Cheerleading and Jocks

"So did you hear the news?" Danielle asked Nya as soon as school let out. "Maggie Forman left the cheerleading team!"

"What?" Nya said, astonished. "But the big game is coming up! And it's so close to the end of the year! Why has she quit now?"

"I don't know." Danielle said, a high and happy squeak in her voice. "But you know what this means? I can finally try out for the cheerleading team!"

Nya snorted, and laughed aloud. "You really want to join that team? I never saw you as a cheerleader."

"It's alright, you can relax." Danielle teased as she walked a few steps ahead. "I'm just going to try out. There's no guarantee I'm going to get it. I hear there's going to be _a lot_ of people trying to compete for the spot."

"Right, but that hasn't stopped you before." Nya said, smiling. "And maybe I'm wrong. Maybe cheerleading is the way to go for you."

It was Danielle's turn to snort. "You just want me to because you get a free pass to see all the cute football players."

Nya made an exaggerating smirk. "A girl's gotta live, Danielle." she joked.

"Right." Danielle said.

"So when's tryouts?"

"Tomorrow." Danielle replied. "I'm quite nervous, honestly."

"You'll do fine." Nya said. "Now can we go get something to eat?

* * *

Nya could tell that Dani was nervous as they walked into the noisy gymnasium. She was staring at the cheerleaders in the corner of the room, screaming chants and throwing the girls in the air, then caught them on the ground below.

"You'll be fine." said Nya assuringly, and Dani turned to her.

"I hope so." she said, sighing to herself. "I've been wanting to do this for so long, you know."

"I do." Nya replied. Danielle turned to look at Jay, who was hanging back with Kai, casually talking in conversation. And Nya could tell that something was wrong.

Before she could ask what was on her mind, Danielle's attention was turned abruptly as a woman walked up to her, crossing the gym floor.

"You trying out for the cheerleading spot?" the woman asked. Danielle nodded silently. Immediately, the woman directed her to a spot where two official-looking coaches stood. She then walked away hurriedly, as if there was still more to be done.

"We'll be right at the bleachers, Danielle." said Nya, trying to sound assuring. "You'll do great."

But Danielle hadn't heard her, because the whistle had been blown by one of the coaches, signaling for the tryouts to begin.

* * *

The tryouts went on for some time. It'd been rather pleasant to watch, because most of them kept messing up, whether it'd been stumbling on the landing, or their hair coming loose from their bun and they'd stopped to fix it. They'd all been cut out, the number of the cheerleaders trying out beginning to dwindle.

Throughout the entire thing, Danielle been amazing. She didn't stumble, and her hair stayed perfectly intact through all of the flips and moves she had performed. It'd been quite obvious that the coaches liked her best through their bright smiles and approving nods.

"So where's Cole?" Nya heard Kai ask Jay. Next to her, Jay's shoulders lifted in a shrug.

"He didn't want to see a cheerleading tryout. He stayed home." Jay replied, as if it was always natural to leave his brother alone at their house.

Nya turned back to the tryouts. Another girl had just been cut out.

"She didn't send me, you know."

Nya turned quickly to look at Jay, who had said it. He was looking at her with an odd expression on his face. It looked almost sympathetic, but more apologetic.

"What do you mean?" she asked, puzzled.

"That day when I followed you into the woods." said Jay. "And you yelled at me. Remember?"

And suddenly Nya did.

"Oh." Nya said, at a loss for words as the memory played in her head. "Right."

"Look, I get why you were upset, okay?" Jay said. It was obvious he was trying to sound gentle for Nya's sake, which made a small fire of anger burn inside of her.

"Jay, I really disagree with you." said Nya, trying to keep her voice calm. "It's just been hard."

A minute of silence ensued between them, making it slightly uncomfortable for Nya.

"I don't blame you, you know." he said finally. "For what happened."

"And I know," Jay added. "that it wasn't very clear that night. I was angry. I was shocked."

Jay shook his head, his eyebrows creased. "I didn't mean for it to come out that way."

Flashes from that night began to come back to Nya.

* * *

 _"What the hell is this?" Jay asked, making his brother and Kai turn around. Jay held the gem to Nya's face, inches from her eyes._

 _"It's..." Nya began, unable to find words. She had hoped this moment had never come._

 _"Guys, what's going on?" Kai demanded._

 _Jay swerved toward Cole and Kai with an infuriated look on his face. He held it up to them for the two to inspect. "Look familiar?" he asked, and both he and Nya watched as Kai and Cole's eyes widened with recognition._

 _"...is that..." Cole asked, before his brother cut him off._

 _"Yes," Jay fumed. "The gem. The sapphire, that supposedly slipped off of Nya's finger that day, at the pond. The sapphire that I left my brother for. And the sapphire that put us on the island in the first place. This gem was the reason that we were stuck there."_

 _Then Jay corrected himself. "No." He turned to Nya with a look of anger, one that broke Nya' heart. "No, SHE is the one responsible! She was the one who stranded us! Alone! Away from our families! Away from safety! Away from the Dark Island! Nya, this is ALL YOUR FAULT! Everything is all of your fault! IT'S YOUR FAULT THAT ZANE IS DEAD!"_

 _Nya audibly gasped, and tears came to her eyes. Her heart stopped as she looked into Jay's eyes._

 _They were obviously not Jay._

 _"I-I'm sorry..." Nya said, barely audible. "I'm so, so sorry..."_

 _"Nya..." Kai spoke up. He looked at Nya not with anger, but with hurt. "Nya, is this true? Did you...did you hide this?"_

 _Nya said nothing._

 _Then Jay rolled up his sleeve and showed his arm to Nya. She widened her eyes at the sight._

 _There was a horrible cut on Jay's arm, puss beginning to overflow from it, and dried blood accumulated around it. It was obvious Jay tried to apply Gamot on it, but it had not helped._

 _"This, too!" Jay said. "This is your fault. I went back for the gem, Nya. I went back for you. I wanted you to remember me with the gem. I wanted you to think I was a hero. Well while I was looking for it, I fell into that trap, and I scratched my arm. I've been in pain ever since. And still. You said nothing."_

 _Nya cast her eyes downward, squeezing them shut, not daring to look at neither her brother or her two friends. And she noticed how Cole said nothing._

 _Because Jay was right._

 _It was her fault that Cole, an innocent boy, went through what he had. It was her fault that Jay had that horrible gash on his arm. It was her fault that they were all away from their families. And yes, she was responsible for Zane's death._

* * *

"I'm sorry, Nya." Jay said. "I'm sorry about everything."

Nya looked up at him again, trying to bury the memory deep down again. But now that it had surfaced, it was hard to think of anything else. It was hard not to relive the pain she'd gone through on Ninjago.

And it was even harder to think about everything that would never be the same again.

But as Jay forced a shared glance between them, Nya felt what she'd never think she'd feel for a long time.

Ease.

"I've got to go to the bathroom." said Nya. She looked away from Jay and bounded down the bleacher steps.

As she walked by Danielle, who was just finishing, she caught her eye. And by the creased brow and the look in her eye, it'd been obvious that Danielle had seen the whole thing.

* * *

Danielle grabbed her towel from her gym bag in the corner and wiped herself off. Kai, Jay, and Nya were all waiting outside for her to go to dinner.

As she toweled off, Danielle heard her name called.

"OI, DANIELLE!"

A deep voice carried itself across the gym, and she turned around. It definitely couldn't have been one of the coaches; they'd all left.

Sure enough, standing not far from her was Brian Coffman, star of the field, wearing a sly smirk. She rolled her eyes in response and turned away.

Throughout the two years they'd been grouped together on the Dark Island, Brian had continuously made passes at Danielle, and not with a ball. Even after Danielle had started dating Jay, Brian couldn't seem to leave Danielle alone.

"So how have you been doing?" asked Brian, who had been left behind by his friends that he'd just been with.

"Well I'm still with Jay, if that's what you're asking." Danielle replied, barely meeting Brian's eye. "And I'm not changing my mind."

"I'm not asking about you and Jay." said Brian. "I'm asking about you."

Danielle looked at him, her head tilted in annoyance. "You're just pulling charms out of your ass along with your quips?" she deadpanned, which made Brian laugh.

"Ah, you're funny, Dani." said Brian. "Why don't you let me take you out? Just one dinner. Then I'll stop bothering you."

"Or I don't go out with you, and you stop bothering me. That'll work too, right?" Danielle said, sarcasm and amusement oozing from her voice.

As Danielle grabbed her gym bag, Brian grabbed Danielle's arms and squeezed them slightly.

"You know you love me, Danielle. You know you love our little passings as much as I do." Brian teased, a small grin playing at his lips.

A moment passed, but it felt longer and more significant to Danielle. Something had happened between them the moment their eyes met at that second, and Danielle had never felt it before. Her entire body seemed to shut down, and she felt her arms become numb at Brian's touch.

After a moment, Danielle forced herself to push him off.

"No, Brian." said Danielle, her voice soft but tight. "I can't. I'm with Jay."

"Alright." said Brian, his eyes still shining. "But I'll keep trying. One of these days, you'll say yes."

"I doubt that, Brian." Danielle replied, and turned away before he could see the small blush creep to her face.

 **HI GUYS! YES, I'M BACK...AGAIN. AND I NOW HAVE A NEW SYSTEM.**

 **I'VE ALREADY WRITTEN THE NEXT TWO CHAPTERS AHEAD OF TIME, AND WILL PUBLISH THEM ONE DAY APART. AFTER THE THREE ARE PUBLISHED, I WILL START THE NEXT THREE, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.**

 **NOW I REALLY WANT TO THANK THOSE WHO ARE STILL HERE, AND WHO STILL CARE ABOUT THIS STORY. IT'S NOT EASY, REALLY TO STICK AROUND THIS LONG, AND I THINK THAT IT'S REALLY GREAT.**

 **WELL, PLEASE REVIEW!**


	7. A Rising Temptation

Wu woke up to a chill prickling his spine, making him shiver. The surface below him was no longer the cold and wooden table that it had once been, but now a soft and cushioned bed with a warm sheet.

It was still dark outside, as it always was; Wu would have to get used to this.

Slowly, Wu stood on his feet, breathing heavily as he did so; he had only done this a few times. Leaning on the wall for support, Wu stumbled to across the hall to the door.

It was even colder here than it was inside the empty cabin. Everything was eerily quiet, except for distant howling in the forest, which undoubtedly came from Misako's family, the Turans.

As Wu studied his surroundings, he could hear a loud yet dull clanging, as if a bag of metal was being dragged.

And then he saw it: a small figure, with long shadows of talons protruding from the hands that dragged behind a burlap bag, which Wu could tell was filled with metal.

Curiosity got the better of him. He followed the figure.

He followed it, stumbling on his bare feet, into the forest. It was extremely thick here, with trees crowded so closely together that Wu had to thin out his body to squeeze through.

When it seemed to have been hours that had passed, Wu saw the figure stop, and drop the bag of metal.

It was standing in front of a box-shaped structure, almost like a small house.

The figure went up to the structure, and tapped the door quickly three times. It leaned close to the door, then whispered something into the keyhole of the door. Wu watched carefully, narrowing his eyes.

Suddenly a burst of white light came from the small house, and a few feet of its surrounds glowed brightly. Wu shielded his eyes, then looked again.

The figure had walked through the door, taking the bag along. The white light had subsided, and now was a consistent, dull glow bleeding from the windows down the walls.

Wu came to the door, and caught it just before it closed. He peeked in.

In the small house was a white room; white ceilings, walls, and floors. It was huge inside, with the consistent bright white glow as the light. The figure, still hidden beneath the cloak, was standing in the middle of the room. The bag of metal had been dumped out to reveal clumps of silver.

It was then that Wu's eyes had finally adjusted. In the room was a thick, white tarp, one that camouflaged with the rest of the room.

The figure went up to tarp, and pulled it away. Wu couldn't help but widen his eyes.

Underneath the tarp was a boy, composed purely of metal parts. It closely resembled that of a teenager, right down the height and build that it had. It was obviously unfinished, with only one arm from its socket, and the metal bars and gears still visible beneath unapplied skin.

"Beautiful isn't it?"

The figure hadn't even turned around.

"Yeah." said Wu. "Yeah, it is. Did you make it, Misako?"

Misako removed her hood and her cloak, and hung it up on a coat rack, which had appeared mysteriously as of from thin air.

"All by myself." said Misako. "I've been working on this for two years. Got the spare parts from the junk the Turans throw out."

Wu walked toward the metal boy, staring into its dull eyes that bore into him blankly. Its metal was gleaming silver, shining through the light of the bunker.

"It's not going to bite you." said Misako, almost amusingly. "It's just a boy."

Wu walked toward it, inspecting it with heightened interest and admiration. It truly looked like a human made out of metal.

"It's not finished yet." Misako said. "I plan to add in many weapons and updates into his system. When I'm finished with him, this machine will be unstoppable."

Wu turned to Misako, tearing his eyes away from the mechanical boy.

"Misako, what is this for?" Wu asked. "Why would you go through all of this trouble?"

Misako turned to look at him. Her eyes were almost sad, glossed over in a silent gloom.

"I built this the same reason I brought you back." said Misako. "This will be just as vital as you in returning my son Kai to me."

Misako turned away from Wu, who stood in silence.

"This machine will give me power over anybody that tries to stop me." Misako said softly. "This machine will pave the way for me and my army, and you will give me your smarts, your intelligence, your wits. Nothing could stop us then."

* * *

Danielle couldn't concentrate. She didn't know why.

It'd been a few days since she had tried out for the cheerleading team. But something had changed, and she was afraid she knew why.

Danielle couldn't stop thinking about Brian. She had always felt flattered when he flirted with her, but she'd never felt like it'd mean anything. But with him...it was different than it was with Jay.

Unlike Brian, Jay almost never told her she was beautiful. Danielle had just always assumed it was something that went without saying to him. But with Brian, he always made sure to tell her, and he made her tingle and smile in a way that Jay couldn't. And Danielle couldn't help but daydream about falling into Brian's arms, and wrapping her hands around his shoulders while he held her.

What is wrong with you? Danielle kept asking herself. I thought you liked Jay. Now you're thinking of cheating on him?

It's not cheating if you're not doing anything. It's just an innocent thought.

This made Danielle think. Was that true?

No! Stop it! she scolded herself. Control yourself. Jay is your boyfriend. It's good with him.

But what about when he was talking to Nya at the cheerleading tryouts? Did you see how they looked at each other?

This time, Danielle didn't have time to think, for then a voice called to her.

"Danielle, sit up! No daydreaming in class!"

Danielle bolted up at this, nearly knocking over her papers in the corner of her desk. Blinking rapidly to alert herself, Danielle glanced around, and then remembered that she was daydreaming in the middle of Spanish class. Students sniggered audibly, while most just looked at her.

Danielle met the teacher's eye, which was narrowed sternly.

"Sorry..." Danielle said meekly.

The teacher didn't reply. Instead, she turned back to the board and resumed the lesson.

Danielle sighed, and then felt a light touch on her arm. She looked, and there was Brian, staring at her, but not like the teacher had.

"You okay?" Brian whispered. Unable to speak, Danielle nodded. It was as if she'd lost the ability to talk.

Brian half smiled at her, then immediately turned his attention away, to continue doodling in his notebook.

Danielle turned away, and sunk back into her thoughts. Everything drowned away into unimportant emptiness, and Danielle found her guilt begin to shy away as the image of Brian came into her mind.

"Nothing's going to happen" she thought blissfully to herself. "Don't worry..."

 **YOU DARE CHEAT ON JAY, DANIELLE?** **-_-**

 **DRAMA WILL PICK UP SOON, GUYS. THANKS FOR READING!**

 **RandomDragon: THANKS SO MUCH! I'VE MISSED RECEIVING REVIEWS WHEN I WAS MY HIATUS. HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER!**

 **THANKS ALL. NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE UP AROUND THIS TIME TOMORROW. PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	8. Blood On Our Hands

Cartoons » Ninjago » **Dark Sand** Author: KaitheHotHead1 1. Hunting 2. Alone 3. The Vial 4. Apology 5. Lost Trust 6. Nightmare 7. Cheerleading and Jocks 8. A Rising Temptation 9. Blood On Our Hands Rated: T - English - Adventure/Drama - Reviews: 23 - Published: 04-05-17 - Updated: 11-28-17 id:12434654

"I made it! I made the cheerleading team!" Danielle cried.

"Oh my god, congratulations!" Nya responded happily. "When did you find out?"

"Just yesterday!" Danielle said. "A letter was delivered to my door in my name, and it said I was _accepted!"_

"I knew you'd make it!" Nya said. "I was watching you during your tryouts, and you were really impressive. It was obvious the coaches thought so too."

"They did, didn't they?" Danielle said distantly, beaming with pride.

"So..what's wrong?" Nya asked gently.

Danielle sighed, and sat herself down at the bench. The soft breeze played with her wavy blonde hair, adding to the thoughtful look on her pale face that had replaced the gleeful one.

"I just..." Danielle said softly, her tone suddenly softening. "wish that I could tell my aunt."

"Why not?" Nya asked, her tone matching Danielle's. "I mean, wouldn't she be happy for you?"

"Nya," Danielle replied, in a sort of exasperated tone. "I told you already. She hates this kind of stuff. Thinks it's artificial, and useless. She wouldn't ever approve."

"Well can't you change her mind?" Nya asked. Danielle shook her head silently, and let out a sigh.

"No...The only person that was able to change her mind was my mother. And from the current circumstances, that's not going to happen. She's not here anywhere, is she?"

Danielle looked down to the grass, as Nya looked at her friend, trying to meet her eye, though she had nothing to say.

Danielle's parents had disappeared before the end of Day on Ninjago. At the time, a considerable number of parents had disappeared, with no trace. But Danielle hadn't thought it'd happen to her.

"I'm sorry, Danielle." Nya said, trying desperately to make her friend feel better. "Just look on the bright side."

Danielle scoffed. "Right." she said. "Always on the bright side. Ignore the darker one. It doesn't exist and it never will, right?"

There was a terrible few seconds between them as Nya remained quiet and Danielle remained with a stony face.

"Right." Danielle said suddenly, and stood up. Her eyes looked faded now, but a smile was plastered onto her face, as if it was somebody else's.

"I think I'd like to tell Jay the good news!" Danielle said, trying to sound positive. "I think he'd be very proud."

As Danielle grabbed her bag and walked ahead, Nya watched her smile through it all, pretend that nothing was wrong.

And she wished Danielle would do that with anybody but her.

* * *

When Danielle had told Jay the news, he was extremely cheerful, and promised to take them all out to dinner later after school, and also said he'd drag Cole along.

After they picked up Kai and Nya, they all walked toward the square, where it was busy at this time. Teenagers hung out on the benches with their friends, laughing at jokes and holding hands with their partner. Adults went in and out of shops, carrying bags of groceries, and little kids tagged along, playing in the street.

The five walked along the street, passing shops and coffee houses that blew out an inviting cool breeze from inside.

"Which way?" Kai asked.

"We make a left up here." Jay replied, and led them down another walkway. It was less crowded here, but other kids zoomed by on bikes, heading for the coffee houses up the street.

Jay lead them down another road, where the shops were still busier, and less and less houses were lit, to prepare for dinner.

Nya looked ahead, and spotted Cole, who was walking quietly. He hadn't said a word through the whole walk, and Nya could tell he'd rather be doing something else.

"Nearly there." came Jay's excited voice.

Then they went into yet another road, and this one was of cobblestone instead of brick. It lead down to a small yet adorable building, which was a lone cafe, with a classy exterior. They could all tell it was busy inside because of the transparent windows outside.

"Oh Jay," Danielle said. "It's so adorable! How did you find it? It's so far from the square!"

"I have my ways." Jay said. "And by that I mean I was out walking and I took a wrong turn. But you like it?"

"I love it..." Danielle said, and Jay kissed her.

There was a gag and a small laugh. "Jay, if you're going to be all over your girlfriend like you are at home, I'll regret tagging along with you."

Cole, who hadn't spoken the whole way there, gave another laugh, and his face broke out into a smile.

Then suddenly the entire group was laughing, and Nya felt some of the tension inside her melt away quickly.

"That's fine, Cole." Jay said, still laughing. "I'll try to control myself."

* * *

The dinner had gone rather well. Having Cole there brought some humor to the table, while Kai's usual light conversation was simple yet effective. Nya found herself enjoying it, and the time passed by quickly.

They didn't get ready to leave until long after they'd all finished their meals. Once the check came, Nya took out her money and quietly placed her money down. The waitress took it to get it processed.

"Nya," Jay said, catching her act. "You didn't have to do that."

"Jay, it's alright." Nya assured him. "I wanted to. It's in honor of my best friend, and you were the one that found the place. Dinner is on me."

"Cool." Kai said. "Thanks, Nya." Then Kai went back to talking with Cole about the latest of the Starfarer Comics.

But Jay didn't turn back to continue his conversation with Danielle. Instead, he kept looking at Nya, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Jay, what is it?" Nya asked, looking back at him.

"It's-it's nothing, really." Jay replied, but his voice was soft. "I just...I guess I just forgot...the way you are."

"The way I am?"

"Yeah. I missed it."

There were several seconds of silence when Jay shyly smiled, and Nya couldn't help but smile back. And she couldn't help but be reminded of the better days, when they'd always laugh at each other's jokes, and when they always hung out together. Nya had always realized how much she missed it too.

The moment was ended by the sound of scraping against the floor, and Danielle was out of her chair. She grabbed her purse forcefully, and her eyes that had once gleamed happily were now lit with a stern anger.

"I think it's time we go." Danielle said. The table was quiet now. "I don't want my aunt to worry if I'm home _late_."

At that, everybody got up. As soon as Jay was next to her, Danielle seized his hand and stormed out from the restaurant before everybody else did.

* * *

The rest of the walk had not been as enjoyable as dinner. Danielle wouldn't let go of Jay's hand, and avoided making eye contact with Nya.

This had never happened before with Danielle and Nya. They'd always been able to talk to each other, and Nya didn't know what had changed.

They'd gotten to Nya and Kai's house in a hurry, and as Jay was saying goodbye, Danielle dragged him along, not saying a word to Nya.

 _What is wrong with her..._ Nya thought, anger and frustration filling her.

Then suddenly Nya felt tired. Switching off her bedroom light, Nya walked in and fell asleep as soon as she lay down.

Minutes later, Nya felt herself shivering. It was a horrible, violent feeling, and she felt as if she was hunched over on a cold hardness of the ground.

Everything around her was blackness. Nothing could be seen; it was as if everything was dark, and that was all that there was.

And then her eyes began to adjust, and she began to understand. She wasn't shivering. She was crying.

Tears cascaded down her cheeks, and stained her skin. Her shoulders shook up and down, and from her lips came violent sobs.

Below her, in the shadows, was a mass of something. It was cradled in her arms, and it made the skin damp.

Then she saw it.

The mass below her, in her arms, was Zane's dead body, bloody and deadweight. His eyes were wide open, staring into emptiness, his lips slightly open, as if begging for the pain to stop.

Then Nya heard it. A scream. Her screams. They echoed across the surrounding forest, through Ninjago's trees, and entwined even with the dirt below her.

She looked down at her hands, and pulled them from under Zane. They were bloody, dripping with red ooze, coming from his body.

 _Zane's blood._ Nya thought frantically, her heart beating from her chest. _Zane's blood...is on my hands. Blood on my hands...all my fault!_

Nya couldn't stop screaming, and couldn't stop the tears from falling down her face. They dripped in the dirt, which created ripples through the ground itself. Zane's body shook from her own tear's vibration.

An emptiness consumed her, began to swallow her whole. The blood on her hands dripped...and dripped...

And she was falling, with voices calling her, from far away...she was alone...all alone...she couldn't breath...she couldn't stop screaming.

Then she was awake, screaming at the top of her lungs, held down by her family. Kai was clutching at her arms, while her father covered her mouth, trying to muffle the screams. Her tears leaked onto her father's hand, and onto her mother's nightshirt, whom had been hugging her.

"Nya!" they cried. "Nya! Stop! Stop it! Calm down!"

"It's alright..." Kai whispered in her ear, and immediately Nya felt herself begin to relax.

"...It was just a dream..." she said, tears still falling down her face. "But it was so real..."

"Oh honey..." Timbue said, stroking her hair. "Honey...it's okay...it's okay..."

"I killed him." Nya said. "I killed Zane. I killed my boyfriend...it's all my fault. His blood...was on my hands...and...I'm sorry..."

"None of this is your fault. Nothing." Michael told her consolingly. "Nya, please, stop..."

Nya continued to sob, and couldn't stop. But she forced herself to.

"Do you want us to stay?" Michael asked her, heavy concern in his voice. "We can sleep next to you, right here."

"No." said Nya, trying to sound as even as possible. "No, that's okay. I'll just go back to sleep."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." said Nya. "Yes, I'll be fine."

As the door closed, Nya fell back onto her bed, drenched in her sweat, and lay in a pit of despair.

 **OH...NYA...I'M SORRY TO DO THIS TO YOU.**

 **WILL SHE EVER LET HERSELF GO? AND WHAT ABOUT DANIELLE'S JEALOUSY? WHAT ABOUT JAY'S LOOKS? _WHAT OF THE DRAMA?!_**

 **JUST KIDDING.**

 **THANKS FOR READING EVERYBODY. I'LL START TO WORK ON THE NEXT THREE CHAPTERS, AND I'LL PUBLISH THEM AS SOON AS I CAN. SEE YOU ALL SOON!**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	9. Electric Kiss and Jealousy

The next day at school for Nya was terrible. She couldn't get the images of Zane out of her head, the haunting dream about his death. She was reminded of it all over again.

When Danielle came to school, and they met at the bench, Nya could tell that something was wrong. Danielle didn't meet her eye, and immediately turned away to do something else.

"Dani?" Nya asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is _fine,_ Nya." said Danielle, but she did not sound fine. Her voice was tight, and she looked upset.

"No, it's not." said Nya. "What's up?"

"It's really nothing." said Danielle. "Just forget it."

Danielle's mind was racing. She still was upset with Nya about what happened at the dinner the day before.

She couldn't get the image of Nya and Jay out of her mind, and couldn't stop thinking that maybe Jay would want to be with anyone but her. That maybe she, Danielle, wasn't good enough for him.

 _Stop this._ she thought to herself. _Nya's your friend. Don't be so upset.._

 _How can I not be?_ she replied. _That's my boyfriend she's flirting with._

 _She's not even flirting with him!_ cried the reasonable side of Danielle. _You need to relax._

Danielle sighed. She was just going to have to keep quiet. She _would not_ mess it up with Nya.

* * *

"Nya, wait!"

Nya turned around to see Danielle jogging to catch up with her.

"Hey." Nya said.

"Hey." said Danielle. "What class do we have again?"

"Math." said Nya, and rolled her eyes. "Heading over there now."

" _Math?"_ Danielle whined. "I have to get my book from my locker. I'll see you there."

"See you there." said Nya, and they went their separate ways.

* * *

Danielle jogged down the hall, and went to her locker. She opened it, and found the books she needed.

But then as she turned around, she hit something solid, and she yelped as she fell backwards. But then something stopped her fall, and she wrapped her arms around it to keep her balance.

"Woah!" came Brian's voice. "Sorry. Didn't mean to be hidden."

There was Brian, looking down at her, his arm wrapped around her middle in a secure dip. She found herself absolutely speechless, and reveling in the hold he had on her.

"I was just going to ask if you'd like to come to the game to watch me." said Brian. "Or maybe just a dinner afterwards?"

"Game?" said Danielle, finally finding her voice. "What game?"

Brian let her up, but still kept his arm around her middle in a telling hold.

"Well, everyone's been talking about it, Dani." said Brian, sounding thoroughly amused. "I'm surprised you don't know what it is."

"What is it, actually?" asked Dani, beginning to get curious.

"Well it's the game of the year. Everybody from around the Dark Island's coming to see it." said Brian. "And they're all going to see me, which to be frank, is the most important part."

Then Brian brought Danielle closer so that their noses were nearly touching. Danielle immediately felt an exciting electricity run through her body, through her whole being, and between her and Brian. And she couldn't help but wonder if he wanted to kiss her.

"I want you there, Danielle." Brian purred. "I want you there in the stands, far away from Jay, and cheering for _me_."

Danielle couldn't breathe. Adrenaline and excitement pulsed through her. All she wanted now was to kiss Brian, and forget about everything.

"I-I..." Danielle breathed. "I'll think about it."

"Alright." said Brian, a smirk coming to his face. "I'll let you think about it. I know you'll say yes anyway."

"Right." said Danielle. She couldn't think. She couldn't take her eyes off of Brian.

Brian released her from his hold, and lightly brushed his fingers against hers. Danielle felt the electricity again.

"I'll see you later, Danielle." Brian said as he walked away.

And then Brian was gone.

* * *

Danielle skipped to class, something that she never thought she'd want to do. Adrenaline was still fresh in her veins, and for a second she forgot all about Jay, and all about Nya. She could only think of how she was going to the game to see Brian play at the biggest game of the year.

All she could think of was him, and the electricity she felt.

Then as she walked into the classroom, Danielle felt all of the good feelings slowly sink away into a deep abyss, never to be seen or felt again.

Because there in the middle of the Calculus classroom was Jay and Nya, her boyfriend and best friend, laughing and touching each other in a more-than-friendly way. Nya was giggling, and Jay was close to cracking up at something, and their eyes held a wildness and a connection Danielle never thought she'd see.

Danielle couldn't stop staring at them. Thoughts ran through her head. Terrible thoughts. She couldn't move.

Then slowly, Danielle felt her feet move, slowly, toward their desks.

Then she was at Jay's desk, with a false happy and amused face plastered on her face.

"Hi, guys." she said, and felt her voice become tight with each word. "What's so funny?"

Jay and Nya turned to Danielle, and their eyebrows raised, as if surprised to find her there.

"Hey, babe." said Jay. "I was just telling Nya something about what happened at home with Cole. It's hilarious, really."

"Oh, I'm glad you guys are getting along." said Danielle, a fake filter in her voice. "Really great."

"It is, isn't it?" Nya said, grinning from ear to ear. "You caught a good one here, Dani. You might have some competition!"

And again Nya and Jay laughed, and Danielle felt her blood boil dangerously.

"Right." said Danielle, her voice as tight as a belt on a fat man. "Right. Well, I guess I'll just see you after class."

Danielle walked to the other side of the Calculus room to an empty desk, and sat. She laid her chin on her palm, and fumed silently.

Why did Nya have to want him? Couldn't she ever have someone to love her, all to herself?

 _Brian loves you._ she reminded herself, and she sighed, feeling all of the happy feelings immediately return.

Danielle glanced across the room, and saw Jay and Nya again, hiding their laughs behind their hands.

 _That's it._ _I'm done with this._

* * *

As soon as class was over, Danielle ran out into the hall without her bags.

She raced down the sidewalks, across the school, and down the steps, into the football field.

Brian was there, tossing a ball between him and another player, with a tight and focusing smirk on her face.

Danielle walked out onto the empty field, and Brian turned to look at her as he caught the ball.

"Dani, hey." said Brian. "So have you thought about your answer? Dani?"

Danielle was staring at Brian, her eyes focused on his only. Then she came closer.

Without thinking about anything else, Danielle kissed Brian softly.

It lasted for several seconds before she pulled away.

"Does that answer your question?" Danielle asked, her heavy breaths on Brian's cheek.

Brian answered with a smirk, and then dropped the ball onto the grass.

He picked Danielle up into his arms, and kissed her again. Danielle felt the electricity return. It pulsed into her heartbeat, and filled her lungs, and lined the lips that kissed him. It even swam through her hair that covered Brian's face, and in the hands supporting her.

And she couldn't have asked for anything more.

 **OH.**

 **MY.**

 **GOD.**

 **DANIELLE, WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL ARE YOU DOING? GEEZ, MAN, AT LEAST _BREAK UP WITH YOUR BOYFRIEND BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT._**

 ***SIGH***

 **THANKS FOR READING THIS CHAPTER, EVERYONE. I PROMISE THE STORY GETS BETTER AS THE STORY PROGRESSES.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	10. My Prisoner From the Woods

**HEY GUYS! HERE'S ANOTHER CHAPTER, WITH ANOTHER DREAM SEQUENCE. HOPE YOU ENJOY...**

Miles away, across the sea, Wu was tossing and turning in his bed. He was dreaming, and he knew that it was another memory.

In Wu's dream, the cold air surrounded him like a freezing blanket, but his skin felt used to it by now.

His body was crouched low to the floor, and in his hand he was clutching a knife, in a ready position.

 _Not yet..._ Dream Wu was thinking. _They'll see me._

Two Turan guards stood in front of the gate, and two more were placed around every perimeter. He knew this, because he'd been tracking the entire camp for almost the whole Night. Ever since he stayed behind again.

So that he could find his brother.

In the dream, the camp was rather large, and difficult to note. Turans were everywhere, and had even built a civilization. Huts stood all around the camp, with little Turan children running in the dirt, with their parents scolding them for playing when they should be working. It was a rather displeasing thing to see, but Wu had done it. He knew everything.

The ruler, the Overlord, was the only one that he had seen up close. He was who Wu had faced when the Overlord took his brother Garmadon away from him, so many years ago. Wu had left his brother behind, afraid that he was going to befall the same fate. And now he will stop at nothing to get his brother back, or he'll die trying.

Clutching on to the trunk of the tree he knelt behind, Wu waited. He stared at the gates of the camp, watching. Waiting. He needed a plan to get in, and fast. He couldn't fight the guards, for he'd be no match against their strength...

But then suddenly, something dull and solid hit him in the head, hard, and sent him to the ground.

Before his vision slowly failed him, Wu saw the outline of a Turan, holding a solid bat, which he'd been hit with. Everything became black.

And Wu couldn't feel anything. It was total darkness, and total nothingness. He knew that there was something there, but he couldn't feel it, couldn't see it.

Then Wu's senses returned, and he found that his body was on the floor, and his arms were tied behind him tightly, with his legs totally stuck together.

 _"Awake, I see?"_

Wu looked up, and his eyes widened.

There was the Overlord, sitting in his throne, in a magnificent cave of crystals. Turan guards stood on either side of him, holding sharp sticks in an intimidating position.

And next to the guards was a beautiful female Turan, dressed in a different clothing than the rest. Her brown hair cascaded past her shoulders, her eyes narrowed at him, and she held an aura of anger and danger.

And Wu recognized this female Turan as the one that had hit him and captured him in the forest.

"My daughter, Misako." said the Overlord in his throne. "Clever girl, you know. Spotted you all those times you were next to our camp, spying on us."

Wu said nothing. He only tried his best to maintain his eye contact with the Overlord. But he really couldn't help but glance back and forth to the pretty one called Misako.

The Overlord stared into Wu, a menacing glint in his eye. "You know, usually, I would let my guards take care of those that step out of line." he said. "But for you I've made an exception."

"Why...is that?" Wu asked, his voice strained, as the ropes binding him grew tighter as he spoke.

"Because," said the Overlord, almost casually. "You're a human. You're supposed to be on the boats headed for the Dark Island. That was the deal that I made with your ruler many years ago. And I want to know why you're here."

Wu stared back at the Overlord, and narrowed his eyes in hate.

"You don't recognize me, do you, Overlord?" Wu asked.

Then the female Turan Misako drew a weapon, sliding it from behind her back. She ran up to him, and brought the knife close to his throat.

"You slimy muck!" she whispered in his ear. "Show respect to the Overlord, or I will _end_ you!"

"Misako, enough!" Overlord yelled. "Get away from the prisoner!"

At his harsh tone, Misako immediately released her knife from Wu's throat, and went to stand next to her glowering father.

"You know my name?" the Overlord said, in a low voice, taking his eyes from his daughter. "Who are you?"

Wu groaned again as the ropes tightened around him. The mark Misako's knife made stung. "I...am...Wu." he said. "Brother...of Garmadon...who you _took_ from me one Night ago!

The Overlord was quiet as Wu struggled, groaning in pain at the ropes that bound him. Misako's eyes were slightly widened.

"Ah, yes." the Overlord finally said casually. "I remember you now. You were just a boy when we first met, weren't you? My, you've grown."

"SHUT UP!" Wu yelled at him, and the guards stood at attention, ready to strike. The Overlord's casual overview vanished. "YOU TOOK MY BROTHER FROM ME! I WANT HIM BACK!"

Everything was quiet. The Overlord stared at him stoically, and so did the guards, and so did Misako.

Then the Overlord burst out laughing. But Misako still stood silently beside him, along with the other stoic guards.

"THIS WAS YOUR PLAN, WU?" The Overlord shouted. "Did you believe that I'd merely just hand over your brother to you?"

The Overlord laughed again, and then pointed to him with a long and silver talon.

"Guards!" the Overlord shouted. "Dispose of this man! Kill him!"

The guards raised their spears. Wu turned away, prepared to meet his demise.

But then to his shock, Misako went and stood in front of them.

"No." said Misako. "This petty human has been spying on us for so long. Let me make him suffer. I'll throw him in a cell, and he can starve to death."

The Overlord stared at his daughter with narrowed eyes.

"Do what you will, daughter." he finally said. "Just let him die, then."

Misako bowed to her father. Then she took the ropes that bound Wu, and dragged him out of the cave.

It seemed like forever for Misako to drag his body across the cave floor. Wu looked at her, and watched her walk nearly effortlessly as she pulled him.

"Thanks." said Wu. "For getting me out of there."

Misako stopped walking. The air was suddenly tense.

"I'm not doing this for you." said Misako finally. "I didn't help you escape. I meant what I said. You are going to die here. There's nowhere to run."

And with that, Misako threw Wu into the nearest cell, and locked it.

"See you never." said Misako, and left Wu tied in his ropes in his cell.

* * *

Wu woke with a startled gasp as he opened his eyes to see Misako next to him.

"I heard you screaming." said Misako stoically. "Which memory were you reliving?"

Wu sighed as his heart rate eased.

"When...we first met, I guess." said Wu.

Misako became silent. She placed his bowl of soup on the table next to him.

"Right." she said. "I remember."

"Misako..." said Wu, sitting up. "It's alright. I forgive you."

Misako turned to Wu quickly, tears growing in her eyes. She blinked to hide them.

"Oh." she said finally. "Oh. Right."

"What is it?" asked Wu."

"Nobody's ever said that to me before."

Misako sighed. "I am sorry, though, about what happened there. I was only following my father's orders. Putting on an act for him."

"Did you really leave me tied up in my cell?" Wu asked.

"Yes." said Misako. "I did. But only for a little while."

Misako sighed. "You don't remember this." she said. "But when I came back to cut you from your ropes, you had already freed yourself."

Tears were glossed on her flushed cheeks, and she laughed at the memory.

"You were very clever. Our ropes were specially made by our slaves, so that prisoners couldn't shrug off the ropes. But you had kicked the mirror in the cell, and used the broken glass to cut yourself free."

"Anyway, I gave you food, and then I intended to free you. But you wanted me to come along. So I took you somewhere where we could hide."

It was silent. Wu thought about what Misako was saying.

"You...took me to the bunker?" Wu asked, realizing. "The one we're using to house that robot?"

"Yes." said Misako. "I took you to that very bunker in the woods. That was where you taught me to build."

"My father had taught me." said Wu, remembering. "I remember now."

"And I said I was curious." said Misako. "Curious about your talents. About your mind. But I lied to you."

Wu looked at Misako, and their eyes met. She stared into him, calm, nostalgic.

"Wu, back then, I wasn't just curious about how you built things. I was curious about you."

Misako turned away from Wu, who stared at her silently.

She didn't say a word. She felt the memories gathering together; the memories and the feelings rushing back to her.

Then she walked out of the shack, and into the cold Night air, left to her thoughts. And Wu lay in his bed, staring after her.

 **HI ALL! THANKS FOR READING.**

 **WELL,** **EVERYTHING'S STARTING TO BUILD UP. MISAKO AND WU REESTABLISHING WHAT THEY HAD; DANIELLE OFFICIALLY CHEATING ON JAY BECAUSE SHE'S JEALOUS, AND LET'S FACE IT, RATHER BLIND; AND WU IS DREAMING OF HIS MEMORIES WITH MISAKO. THE INTERESTING PARTS ARE COMING SOON, JUST STAY TUNED!**

 **THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING, AND WILL SEE YOU ALL SOON!**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	11. Second Thoughts

Danielle sat in her room, hugging a pillow from her bed close to her.

She'd just gone and kissed Brian Coffman. In the middle of a football field. And she _liked_ it.

What was wrong with her?

Danielle rocked herself back and forth on her bed, troubled. What would Jay say? He said he had wanted an exclusive relationship when they both had started dating a year ago. And now she goes, and she kisses Brian? A jock? A guy that wasn't Jay?

 _I've got to end it with Brian._ Danielle thought, but then immediately struck up an argument with herself.

 _If you end it, you're turning down somebody that loves you. How is he going to feel if you reject him for someone that's already flirting with your best friend?_

 _That doesn't matter. You're not just flirting anymore, you're cheating on Jay, somebody who made it clear that he wanted an exclusive relationship. Somebody that has always been faithful to you._

Danielle didn't talk back to herself, because just then, there was a knock at her door downstairs.

"Who is it?" she asked. Who could be coming up to her door now?

"It's Jay!" a voice replied.

A feeling of dread came over her. Did he find out about her and Brian? Was he coming to break up with her?

Her legs turning to jelly, Danielle got up from her bed and walked down the stairs into the foyer. She opened the door, and there he was, standing on her porch.

"Jay." Danielle breathed, plastering on a smile. "Hi. What's up?"

"Nothing much." said Jay airily. "Can I come in?"

Danielle smiled, though she felt like frowning. "Sure." she said. "Haven't had time to clean up. I didn't know you were going to come."

Danielle let Jay in from her porch. She closed the door behind her. Her stomach was churning. What was he doing here?

"Is there something wrong?" she asked, trying to hide the worry consuming her. "Anything you wanted to talk about?"

"No, nothing specific." said Jay, and relief flooded over Danielle.

"Oh." she said. "So what are you doing here?"

Jay turned his head sideways in an almost suspicious way.

"Danielle, I come over here regularly so we can study, remember?" he said slowly. "Is there something wrong Dani? You look really pale. What's happened?"

"Nothing's happened." Dani said quickly. "I'm just...a little stressed that's all. I'm really glad you're here."

But she wasn't glad. She felt a thick pit in her stomach, a pit of worry and fear.

Jay may not have found out about what she'd done, but he will. If not now, it'll be later.

So what can she do?

A second later, Danielle suddenly jumped into Jay's arms and kissed him full on the mouth.

Caught by surprise, Jay stumbled backward and let out a surprised noise. Then after a second, Jay responded, and lifted Danielle off of the floor.

When Danielle finally released him, Jay looked at her in the eyes breathlessly.

"What was that for?" Jay asked her, and she shrugged.

"I just...want to take the edge off..." said Danielle, also breathless. "And I just...want to spend a moment with you."

Jay gathered Danielle in his arms, and lifted her into a bridal carry position. Danielle brushed the hair from Jay's eyes, and kissed him once more, tightening her hold around his neck.

Jay then walked over to the couch in the living room, and sat down, putting Danielle in his lap.

"Wait." he said suddenly, and broke from Danielle. "Is your aunt home?"

"No, not yet." Danielle replied, out of breath. "She's still at work."

"Oh, thank god." said Jay, and kissed her again.

Danielle smiled against his lips, and kissed back, more passionately, more hungrily. Jay returned it, and wrapped his arms around her tighter.

But as Jay kissed her, Danielle couldn't help but remember what she felt when she was with Brian.

Brian had the electricity.

Brian had the excitement.

Brian was something new.

Why couldn't she make up her mind? Why can't she just be happy?

Danielle then suddenly broke the kiss with Jay. She stared at him. She felt tears come to her eyes.

"Danielle?" Jay asked, his eyebrows creasing worriedly. "Are you alright?"

Shaking her head, Danielle got off from Jay's lap, and knelt on the floor. Tears were beginning to surface.

"Danielle?" Jay asked. "Are you...crying? Dani?"

Danielle's body shook as it suppressed her tears, and she let out a sob.

"Danielle?" Jay asked, concern in his voice. "Danielle, are you alright? What is it?"

Danielle was sobbing now, and she shrunk to the floor. Why can't she be happy?

Jay knelt down in front of her and held her silently. Her tears fell onto Jay's shoulder, and he hugged her tighter.

"Oh, Dani..." Jay said, his voice soft. "What is it? What's wrong? You seemed fine a moment ago."

Danielle pulled away, tears dripping down her cheeks.

"Dani, what is it?" Jay was asking. "Come on, Dani, I-"

"It's...I-" she said. "I feel...sick."

"What?" Jay asked, sounding shocked. "Sick?"

"Yes. Sick." Danielle replied, louder this time, startling Jay.

"Well, what do you mean?" Jay asked. "What are you feeling?"

"A...stomach ache. Bad stomach ache. I might have the flu."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No. I think you should go."

"Go? Now?" Jay asked. "But I need to study, and I want to help you. If you feel sick..."

"There's nothing you can do for me, Jay. I'll be fine." Danielle said, her speech rushed. "We can study tomorrow, if I come to school. Which I probably won't."

Hurriedly, Danielle got up from the floor, and dragged Jay to his feet. Immediately, she pushed him towards the door, shoved his jacket at him, and pushed him onto the porch.

"So sorry for this, Jay." said Danielle. "I'm sick...don't want you to catch it."

Then after faking a cough, Danielle closed the door in Jay's confused face.

* * *

The candlelight burned dimly in the shack on Ninjago, as Wu stared at it from his bed.

He couldn't sleep, after the confrontation he had with Misako hours before. He couldn't get his dream from his mind, the dream of how everything began. Of how he himself was involved in this mess.

Wu sighed. He was never going to be able to sleep.

Wu sat up in his bed, and swung his legs over the side before getting up. Maybe a walk around the woods would be comforting, if the Turans weren't there anyway.

But as Wu passed Misako's room, he saw another candle burning brightly, as if it had just been lit.

Wu knocked on the door softly.

"Come in." came Misako's voice.

Wu entered her room, and spotted Misako sitting at an old dining table. It was rusty and dirty, looking like it had been there for many years.

"What's that?" Wu asked, pointing to the table.

Misako looked at it, smiling sadly at it.

"This table was a family artifact." she said. "I used to sit here all the time with my mother before she died. We used to just talk and eat. And when we were beaten, well, we'd help each other."

Wu creased his eyebrows concernedly. "You were beaten?" he asked.

"Yes." Misako said, her voice breaking. "By the Overlord."

"Your...your _father?"_ Wu said, shocked and terrified. "Dear god!"

"My times were different, you must understand, Wu." said Misako hurriedly. "And the Overlord was not only my father, and the husband of my mother, he was a ruler. If we stepped out of line, or if we didn't bring enough food from the hunt, then we were going to be punished."

"But that's not right!"

"That didn't matter."

It was silent between them, and then Misako spoke again.

"I can't sleep." said Misako. "I never can anymore. And when I do, I have terrible, terrible dreams."

"Oh?" Wu said, interested. "What of?"

"My mother." said Misako. "My son. _Our_ son."

"Right." said Wu. "What happens in these dreams?"

"Well," said Misako. "There's this fog. It's so, so thick, and I can't see anything. And then Kai and my mother, they come out from the fog, and they're both calling out to me. They're right there, but I can never touch them."

Wu remains silent as he listens to Misako breath. She looks down at the table intently, as if she was trying to study the patterns.

"And then..." said Misako. "then they disappear in the fog. Their screams fill my head, and their eyes stare into my soul. And then I wake up."

Misako looks at Wu, and he notices that there is a gloss over her eyes.

"Misako..." said Wu finally. "Where is your father?"

Misako sighed. "I don't know." she said. "And I couldn't care less. I'm just glad he's not here."

"Why do you hate him so much?"

"Because he killed my mother."

Wu felt his breath hitch into his throat. "He...what?" Wu said. "He...killed your mother?"

"Yes." said Misako, choking on tears. "My dear mother. She was killed after a hunt, and was caught trying to smuggle some of his food. But see, that was only because there were starving children on the other side of the camp, and she was only trying to help them."

Wu was speechless. Misako looked up from the table and back again.

"I think it's time we both went back to bed." said Misako. "I'll stay up."

After a moment, Wu stood. He pushed his chair back in, and he walked around the table. He bent down, and he kissed Misako's cheek.

It was only for a moment. Misako felt the tickle of Wu's beard, and the softness of his lips as they pressed to her cheek, and she blushed. And she felt something that she had only felt with Wu, something that she had missed so, so much.

And then Wu was gone, left to retire to his room.

 **SO MUCH IS HAPPENING...DRAMA BEGINNING!**

 **THANKS FOR READING. WILL IMPROVE IN PROGRESS.**

 **Chapter 10:**

 **Shadart-Stories: AW THANKS! AND WE'LL JUST HAVE TO SEE ABOUT THAT KAI THING...**

 **RandomDragon: YEAH, I KNOW, RIGHT? AND WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT. THANKS!**

 **Chapter 11:**

 **RandomDragon: *SINISTER GRIN***

 **WELL, THAT'S ALL FOR THESE THREE CHAPTERS! NEXT THREE COMING SOON.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	12. Somebody

The sidewalk was busy on the way to school, crowded with young children and their parents, as Danielle and Nya walked together.

"So how are the other girls preparing for the big game after school today?" Nya asks. "Are they all ready?"

"I think so." said Danielle. "Cheerleaders, the ones at school at least, seem to be pretty professional. I think we'll be fine."

"Professional, huh?" Nya asked amusingly. "We're in high school."

"Really, Nya?" Danielle joked. "I hadn't noticed."

A small child pushed between the two and ran down the sidewalk, with their parent chasing after them in a slight panic, the scene making the two friends laugh.

The child ran gleefully down the walkway, until the parent caught up to them, and carried them away. In view, where the child had been running toward, was Danielle and Nya's school.

And then Danielle saw it. The courtyard. In the front.

Because of the short distance, it wasn't difficult for Danielle to spot the scene, which was Brian, sitting on a bench. And next to him, another girl sat, with Brian's arm draped around her.

Danielle's heart began to beat louder, and her stomach turned over. Confusion, and fear, filled her instantly.

What was he doing with another girl?

Nya glanced at her friend, noticing that she had stopped speaking.

"Dani?" Nya asked, concernedly. "Dani, are you alright? Earth to Dani!"

But Danielle didn't turn toward Nya. She merely kept walking, and almost crossed the street on a red light.

"Dani, stop." said Nya, and caught Danielle by her shoulder and pulled her back on the walkway. "It's a red light, didn't you see it?"

Danielle, who had finally noticed that her movement was interrupted, turned to Nya. "Hmm?" she asked.

"There you are." said Nya jokingly. "How the tables have turned. You're usually the one to pull me out of a trance."

Danielle turned back to the courtyard, still visible at the end of the road. Brian was still there, and he was laughing with the girl next to him.

And then she saw it. Brian leaned in. And from where she stood, she saw Brian kiss the other girl on the mouth, in a smothering and almost longing way. Hungry. Just like how their own kisses were.

Danielle felt her heart turn over along with her stomach. Why is this happening to her?

"Danielle!" Nya said, pulling Danielle out of her trance once more. "The light's green now. Let's go, or we'll be late."

Danielle didn't speak. She walked absentmindedly with Nya across the road, and into school.

"Dani," Nya was saying. "Dani, talk to me."

"Hmm?" Dani said once more, turning to Nya.

Nya was looking at Danielle with an unreadable look on her face, but her eyes were stern with a little confusion.

"Danielle, tell me now, what is wrong? You're spacing out, and you look kind of sick." Nya was asking. "Are you having a seizure or something?"

"What?" Danielle asked. "No!"

"Then tell me, Dani." Nya said. "What is it?"

 _I can't tell her._ Danielle thought. _Not about Brian. Never about Brian._

"I can't tell you." said Danielle. "I've got to go."

Danielle looks across the courtyard again, and she caught Brian's eye. He smirks at her, and then turns his attention back to he girl next to him. Danielle's heart, once more, does a flip.

"Dani-" Nya said.

But by this time, Danielle is already halfway down the hall and Nya watches as she walks into her homeroom, leaving Nya to wonder what just happened.

* * *

"Are you going to tell me who the hell that was?"

Brian slams his locker door shut, and he sees Danielle leaned against the wall with her eyebrows creased in a demanding frown.

"Woah, there." said Brian. "Who was what, Dani? What are you talking about?"

Immediately, Danielle slapped Brian hard in the face, the sharp sound sounding loudly through the crowded hall. Brian looked at her, barely appearing shocked.

"Don't play your crap with me, Brian." said Danielle sharply. "I trusted you. And then you go, and you frickin kiss another girl!"

"That's what you're so worked up about?"

Brian slid his books into his bag and picked it up.

"Yes, Brian, that's what I'm so worked up about." Danielle tells him. "Now tell me, or I'll slap you again."

"That's fine, it feels like a kitten's paw anyway." said Brian. "You really can't hit, can you?"

"Don't make me do it again." Daniele seethed. "Now for the last time, who was she?"

"She's...new."

 _"New?!"_ Danielle shrieks. "What's that mean?"

Brian chuckled, as if what Danielle said was the cutest and funniest thing he's ever heard.

"It means," said Brian. "that we just started going out. We never said we we're exclusive, Dani. The two of us."

"Well I thought that'd go without saying." said Danielle softly. "I thought I'd be enough for you."

Brian stopped walking, and faced Danielle.

"Look," he said. "I'm sorry, okay? I won't see her anymore. If you're going to give me the third degree, if it's going to be this much of a problem for you, I'll quit it. You're hotter than she'll ever be anyways, amirite?"

Danielle gritted her teeth, but she kept quiet.

This is what she wanted, wasn't it?

"Are you happy now?" Brian asks teasingly. "Can we drop it now?"

Danielle looked up at Brian, and decided that yes, this was something she'd have to live with.

"Yes." she said.

"Okay. I'll pick you up after school at your place, and we can go to the game together. How's that?" Brian asked. Danielle merely nodded.

She would not turn down going on a date with the star, just because she's upset she's not the only one.

* * *

Cole dug into his wardrobe, pulling up shirts and throwing them into the air.

The big game was supposed to be starting soon, and Cole couldn't find a thing to wear. Is this what girls worry about, he wondered?

 _"Well it'd be worth looking good for all those girls coming from the other side of the island."_ Cole thought slyly. " _Can't hurt to make a good impression."_

When finally Cole found a suitable outfit, he slipped it on, and opened his bedroom door to find something in the kitchen before he had to leave.

However as soon as Cole stepped from the stairs, the front door in the foyer opened and closed, and Jay walked in.

He didn't speak, and he didn't look at Cole. His eyebrows were creased, as if he were puzzled, and he was frustrated.

It was a telltale sign that his brother was upset.

"Hey." Cole greeted, trying to get a word coaxed from his brother. "What's up? Are you still..."

"Yes." Jay said, his voice in a low octave. "I'm still in a mood."

"Still can't figure out why Dani snapped st you, and shut the door in your face?"

"Nope." Jay said, and collapsed in the couch in the living room. "And she avoided me all day. But she didn't look sick, just...distracted. Left as soon as math class was over, towards the lockers, I think. Looked upset, but she wouldn't tell me why."

"Well," Cole said. "You've had awhile to think about it. Have you come up with anything? Any reason at all?"

Jay sat up on the couch, and shook his head.

"I wish she'd just talk to me." he said softly. "She's never kept anything from me before."

"Could she be..." Cole said awkwardly. "You know...having her woman thing?"

"What?" Jay asked, stricken. "No, not for a couple more weeks, I think. I know when she's...you know."

"Okay..." Cole said, thinking. "Maybe she's just stressed out. Doesn't want to deal with you. Would explain why she couldn't stand staying till after math class, math always stresses people out."

"I don't think so." Jay sighed.

"Well you are hard to deal with."

"Shut up."

Then Cole thought again. He hesitated.

"Maybe..." Cole said, and then stopped.

Jay looked up.

"What?" he asked. "What is it?"

"Do you think she's...got something else on her mind?" Cole said tentatively. "Or... _somebody?"_

Jay sat up straighter. "She's not cheating on me, Cole. She's more faithful than that." Jay said, his voice tight.

"I know she's faithful. I know she's a good person." said Cole defensively. "But Jay, all the signs point to it."

"What are you talking about?" Jay asked sternly.

"Well, she may be feeling guilty." said Cole. "And thats why she ran out on you that day. She didn't want to hurt you. She wasn't sick, but she wanted to protect you. That's just the kind of person that she is."

"Well why would she even want to cheat on me?" Jay asked, his voice low again. "I haven't done anything wrong, not that I can think of. Aren't I enough for her?"

"I don't know, Jay." said Cole. "She might be a bit put off, though, that you used to be in love with her best friend."

"Danielle," said Jay. "could not possibly believe that I have any of those feelings anymore. I was fifteen. That's in the past."

"I know it is." said Cole. "But she might not realize that. Girls can be weird that way."

Jay thought for a moment, sitting still, thinking it all over. Then he shook his head vigorously.

"No." he said, standing up forcefully from his seat. "No, she wouldn't do this."

"It makes sense, Jay." said Cole, his voice sympathetic. "But I think what you need to do is talk to her."

Jay looked at Cole, his face pulled into an expression of interest.

"How did you get to be so wise about this sort of thing?" Jay asked. "You haven't even had a girlfriend before."

"You forget," said Cole amusingly. "I knew Nya since I was four. I've been through that whole thing with her love life, so I've got experience."

"Her love life?" Jay asked, confused. "Who-"

Cole looked at Jay with a stoic expression, and suddenly, it hit Jay who Cole was talking about.

"Oh." said Jay after a moment. "Right. Zane."

"Zane." Cole whispered. He looked down.

Then Cole cleared his throat.

"Just..." he said. "Talk to her."

Cole patted his brother on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Now come on, or we won't have any seats to sit in at the big game. We should be near the sidelines so we can see Dani."

 **BIG THINGS ARE COMING EVERYBODY. JUST YOU WAIT.**

 **I'D LIKE TO WISH EVERYBODY A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR, AND ITS BEEN AN ABSOLUTE PLEASURE TO WRITE AND TO READ YOUR REVIEWS. I APOLOGISE FOR THE LATE PUBLISH, BUT I'M WORKING ON IT.**

 **ANOTHER YEAR HAS GONE BY, AND OPENS UP ANOTHER ONE WHERE... WELL TRUTHFULLY WHERE WE COULD BASICALLY DO WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW :)**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	13. LLOYD

Misako and Wu walked ahead in the dreary darkness of the woods, both protected by the unusually strong gusts of winds that had fallen over Ninjago. Misako's fur shook in the wind with the trees, and Wu pulled the back of his clothing up to his neck to shield himself from the rain.

A loud creak came from behind them, and a thundering groan, as if something metal was being bent from the pressure of weight.

"Wu!" Misako's voice cried out. "Look out!"

Wu turned around, and saw through the darkness the shape of a tree falling through the air and towards their path.

Misako lunged forward and grabbed Wu. She pulled him back, and they both tripped, and the tree fell exactly where Wu had been a second ago.

A bolt of lightning struck across the sky, lighting up the darkness for a second, with the sound of a crack from a whip.

Misako looked down at Wu, whom she still had in her arms, and she felt her cheeks become warm.

Wu returned her gaze, and also felt his cheeks redden.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, and Misako nodded.

"Of course I'm alright." she said. "Are you...okay?"

"I'm alright." Wu said, and smiled. He untangled himself from her arms, and then lent down a hand.

As their hands overlapped, a strong shiver ran up and down her arm, and crept into her spine. Her cheeks became warmer, and she was glad that Wu couldn't see her red cheeks in the constant darkness.

Then suddenly another bolt of lightning struck the sky, momentarily lighting up the path, and the bunker in the distance.

Wu and Misako, hand in hand, ran down the dirt hill in a sprint, the wind pushing them from behind.

Misako got in first, and shut the door to the wind as soon as Wu ran inside.

Inside the bunker, the walls shook and creaked, and the lights flickered constantly.

"We have to finish this before the storm takes away our electricity." Misako said sternly. "Or else we'll lose power, and there won't be a chance to boot it up."

"Boot it up?" Wu said, trying to catch his breath from running. The lights flickered again. "Boot what up?"

Misako turned and smiled mischievously at Wu, and walked over to the middle of the room, which appeared to be empty.

She reached out into the air, and folded her hand into a fist. She flicked her wrist forward, as if she was knocking, and a small clang echoed around the room. The sound of knocking on metal.

Misako then grabbed the empty air, and pulled her arm away, as if pulling away an invisible sheet. Beneath the invisible sheet revealed the mechanical boy.

The last time that Wu had seen the unfinished machine, it had only barely resembled a human teenager, almost looking harmless. But now it had fully developed. The paint and material made the mechanical boy look almost real. Its hair was a light yellow, blonde, and is eyes were a piercing green. The only thing that gave away its inhumanity was the emptiness of its eyes.

"Well." said Misako. "On we go. We've got to finish it, now."

The two worked tirelessly on the machine. They barely had time to talk, except to ask each other for different tools, and to take another look at the blueprint.

A huge gust of wind whistled through the cracks of the bunker, shaking the structure, and the lights violently flickering.

"We've got to hurry." Wu said in a light but worried voice. "The storm is getting worse. I'm done over here. Misako?"

"Almost done!" Misako replied. "I just have to screw in this bolt, but it's not going through."

The lights flickered again, and momentarily, it was completely dark. The hum of electricity was cut off entirely, but then a second later, it returned. But it was weaker now, with the room only less bright than it was before.

"We're running out of time!" Wu said. "Here, Misako, let me."

Wu shifted to Misako's side of the robotic creature, and knelt down beside her. He grabbed her hand into his, and together, they screwed in the last bolt.

Misako's heart was pounding and her pulse jumped at the contact. She looked up at Wu, and noticed his concentration, his focus, his urgency. Her soul swam.

"There, done!" Wu cried, snapping Misako out of her trance. Wu released her hand beneath his, and the mechanical boy's charging plug. Misako's momentarily bliss was over, and she went with Wu to the charging cable.

"Ready?" Wu asked, his voice raising over the wind.

Misako nodded, and grabbed the cable from the other end of the room, and ran it over to Wu.

Wu plugged the cable into the mechanical boy, and Misako went to the nearest wall, where a reserved outlet lay empty.

Once Misako had plugged in the cable, the lights went completely out, and the hum of electricity once again died out.

The two looked to the roof, waiting for the lights to return.

 _Come on._ Misako thought desperately. _This has to work. This has to work for my son._

Then suddenly, the lights returned, and there was a clang that came from the middle of the room.

Wu backed away, grabbing Misako's arm, as they watched the mechanical boy come to life.

The boy raised its head from its slightly downward position, and came to meet Misako's eyes. Its eyes were no longer empty or dead, but now had a deep glow inside of its green eyes, a hostile light of danger.

"Misako!" Wu cried. "Back away from it!" It might look like a boy, but the weaponry on it must be dangerous.

"Wu, it's alright!" Misako replied. "It's alright."

Wu stayed silent, but flickered his eyes from Misako to the mechanical boy, and tried to remember that Misako had created it, that perhaps it wouldn't be any danger to her.

Misako continued to walk towards it, and then put her hand on the cool metal of its face. In response, the mechanical boy tilted its head. The dangerous glow in its eyes was gone. It was Wu's turn to watch in awe. It looked almost like a human boy now that the eyes seemed to have life in it.

Then she reached down to the ankle of its leg, and a click noise snapped.

The mechanical boy hung its head as it was turned off, and its eyes became dead and empty once again.

* * *

"I can't believe it worked." said Misako as she and Wu sat in the corner of the bunker, trying to catch their breath.

"Well of course it worked." said Wu, smirking. "You built it."

Misako blushed, and turned away. The storm outside was still howling, but still was beginning to die away.

"So." said Wu as he shifted his weight. "What are you going to call it?"

Misako turned to look at him, and creased her eyebrows in a bemused expression.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "You want to give it a name?"

"Sure." said Wu. "Why not? According to my memories, I apparently gave names to all of my inventions."

Then Wu turned away, and smiled at his lap. "I think I even named one after you." said Wu, and looked up to meet Misako's eyes. "Do you remember?"

Misako turned red as the memory came back, and she laughed. "Yes." she said, chuckling. "Yes, I do."

"So?" Wu asked, and looked expectantly at Misako. "Any ideas?"

Misako turned her head to look at the mechanical robot. It was tall compared to the sitting figures of the Turan and the human, facing the door on the other side of the room, its structure standing straight.

"I can not think of a single thing." Misako replied sheepishly. "I've never named a machine a code name before."

"Then don't give it a code name." said Wu, smirking. "Give it an actual name."

Misako looked at the machine again thoughtfully.

"Misako?" Wu asked, and she turned to look at him. "When you were naming your- our- son, were there any other possibilities? We could use one of those."

Misako smiled again, and in a heartbeat, she responded.

"When we were thinking about names for the child," she said. "there was only one other alternative to 'Kai'."

"Which was?"

"If we weren't going to name our child Kai, we were going to name him...Lloyd."

Wu felt himself become struck dumbly with amazement at Misako's words.

Lloyd fit perfectly.

"I think it'll work great." Wu said thoughtfully, and he turned to look at Misako.

But Misako was staring at him intently, and she seemed to be sitting closer than before. Her big eyes glowed brilliantly, and Wu felt himself become gradually captivated.

Wu couldn't take his eyes off of her. Misako couldn't seem to either. Wu still couldn't find his words, and struggled to speak. But he couldn't, not while Misako held his gaze, and sent these shivers up and down his spine.

Then suddenly, before Wu knew what was happening, Misako's lips were on his, and the world had stopped.

In Wu's memories, he had kissed Misako. He remembered loving her.

He remembered kissing her back.

But now his body was rigid, and his brain was moving several miles a minute. His heart was beating so radically that he was sure it would burst.

Misako slowly slid her hands up Wu's waist, her fingers brushing against his clothes.

Wu didn't move. He couldn't even breathe.

Misako's hands moved upwards onto Wu's face, caressing his cheeks and brushing through his hair. Misako's talons barely brushed his scalp.

And Wu still didn't move.

When Misako finally broke apart from Wu, and the soft pressure on Wu's lips was gone, Wu jumped up to his feet. He backed away across the room, getting away from Misako.

This wasn't right.

It didn't feel right.

None of this was right.

"Wu?" she asked, and her voice was filled with hurt. "Wu, what's wrong?"

"This." Wu answered immediately. "This. This is wrong. Misako, I'm not Wu. I don't think I ever was."

Misako stood up, and walked up to him. She became close again, and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Of course you are." said Misako in a soothing tone. "You're Wu. You're my husband, the father of my child. This is all right. You just need to get used to it."

"No, Misako." said Wu tightly. "No I don't. I can't. Not with you."

"What do you mean?" Misako asked. The hurt in her voice was still there.

"Because I'm not Wu!" he cried. "Try to hear me. I am not your husband. These memories are not mine, Misako. They're your husband's, your child's father's memories."

"Wu, this is nonsense." Misako cooed, trying to fight through the fear, and tears in her eyes. "You're just...a bit confused."

"Misako, you don't get it." Wu said. "I'm finally starting to see clearly."

"But-"

"Misako, I don't love you."

Then suddenly, the female Turan was silent. Her shoulders suddenly looked square, halted, as if her breath was suddenly hitched in her throat.

"I'm sorry, Misako." said Wu with a forlorn face. "But I don't love you. I don't know you like you know me. I don't feel the sparks that you see. I just feel...what you want me to feel. It's not real. None of it is."

Misako tried to speak. Tried to open her mouth. But she couldn't.

How could this happen to her?

"But..." she croaked. "But Wu, I'm not asking you to love me. I'm asking us to be a family. I want a family."

"But I'd be unhappy Misako." Wu said, his voice more urgent sounding. "Don't you understand? I'm not your husband. I'm just a man with his memories."

"Not to me." Misako said, and choked, because she was so close to tears.

Wu stepped close to Misako, and reached out. He took her hand, and clapped it into his own.

"I wish I could give you what you want, Misako." said Wu. "But I can't."

Wu stared into Misako, searching through her eyes, begging her to understand.

The Wu that loved Misako was dead. The soul of that Wu had moved on a long time ago. This new Wu did not love Misako.

Wu let go of Misako's hand as quickly as he had taken it. He walked to the other side of the bunker, and opened the doors with a slam. The fierce wind blew inside the bunker momentarily as Wu left, and the doors closed behind him.

* * *

The entire island seemed to have fallen in an even emptier darkness as Misako walked through the thick woods. Behind her marched her entire tribe, their threatening talons gleaming from their fingertips.

In the distance, Misako could spot Wu, and inside, she fought down the burning sensation in her stomach. She pointedly averted her eyes as they approached him.

They stood together in a large clearing in the middle of the woods. The wind of Night whipped around the grassy land, whistling softly.

Misako knew that her father, the Overlord, would not be there among them. She didn't know where he was. It didn't matter.

Because all that mattered was Kai, her son, back with her. She would get Wu to come around. She would have their child in her grasp soon.

And she would have a family.

Misako glanced around the large herd of Turans, narrowing her eyes authoritatively.

Immediately, the Turans shuffled their bodies, angling them in such a way that they were facing different directions. It was all for the plan.

Misako bent down and reached into her sheath strapped to her thigh. In it was a stick, which appeared averagely. But Misako knew better.

For this stick that Misako possessed was a wand, coated in a magic potion that she had acquired for years. A spell that her mother had taught her to make all those years ago.

Misako took the wand, and she waved it in the air in a fierce motion.

Then suddenly, in the empty air in front of the herd of Turans, a bright spinning circle appeared before them. Flames were produced from the ring, and inside, an image of an island.

The Dark Island.

Misako put the wand away again, and ignored the shocked expressions of the Turans. She pointedly avoided Wu's gaze as well.

"Ready yourselves, soldiers." she said, her voice ringing clear. "We're going on a mission."

The ring kept spinning, the magic almost beckoning to Misako. She grinned, and took a step forward.

"Next stop." Misako said to herself. "The Dark Island"

 **AND THE PLOT THICKENS!**

 **THANKS AGAIN FOR READING EVERYBODY. I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO POST. I WAS IN A LOCATION WHERE CONNECTION IS LIMITED. I'VE ONLY JUST GOT BACK.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	14. Magical Ring

The entire stadium was bursting with deafening noise, the walls shaking with cheers of sports fans on the edge of their seats. Lights lit up the court, dancing around the surfaces, waiting for the biggest game of the decade to begin.

Danielle stood, hidden, in a tunnel behind the stadium. Standing next to her were her teammates, and all were visibly very, very nervous.

"Oh god." one of the girls called Zoe said, slightly worriedly. "I always get nervous before performances."

"That's okay." another girl, Rachel, said soothingly. "That's normal. We've been practicing. I think we'll get it all right."

"I agree." said Danielle, although her stomach was pulsing and her acids were bouncing beneath her skin in worry. "Nothing to be nervous about."

There was something about today being one of the biggest games of the decade, and with everybody in town watching, that made this whole experience nerve-racking. Perhaps Zoe had a point.

Danielle looked into the stands, and her stomach tightened even more as she saw who was there.

Jay sat in the middle row of the section, with Nya and Cole on either side of him, with Kai next to his sister.

Danielle's cheeks burned, fuming, as she saw it was Nya that Jay was sitting next to. She couldn't help but continue to stare pointedly, and feel her face become hot.

Then there was a quick tap on her shoulder. Danielle turned around, and grinned at the face staring back at her.

In the stands, Cole nudged his brother meaningfully with his elbow.

"Jay." said Cole. "Now's your chance. You needed to talk to her, right?"

Jay looked towards Danielle, who was now visible, standing at the very entrance of the tunnel. She was talking to somebody, but Jay couldn't tell who.

"Right," he replied to Cole. "that's right. But is now really the time? The game's going to start soon."

"Not for another five minutes." said Cole. "I wanted to get here early for a reason."

"It might not be early enough." said Jay, sighing with worry, hesitating. "Maybe I should just wait till after the game. I can talk to her then."

"You idiot." said Cole, his voice now suddenly low and tight. "You're just putting it off! Jay, what's the matter with you? Don't you want things back the way that it was?"

"Of course I do." Jay replied defensively. "For Danielle, anything. But maybe...maybe I just want to hold off on it for awhile."

"Jay, there's nothing to be afraid of. Seriously. You're just going to talk to her. Ask her what's wrong." Cole said. "Now what are you scared of?"

Jay thought, and looked away from his brother. His eyes found Danielle, who was still talking to the figure in front of her. The shape looked oddly familiar, with square shoulders and a smooth back. Was he a sports player?

"Jay?" Cole said, trying to get his attention. "Jay, talk to me. I lost you."

"Sorry." Jay said, and turned quickly back to his brother. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"So why are you putting off talking to Danielle?" Cole asked, more urgently this time. "And I want an answer this time."

Jay took a deep breath, and he thought.

"Because." said Jay. "I don't want to hear something that I don't want to acknowledge. Something that I don't want to hear."

"Sometimes that's what you have to do in relationships, Jay." Cole said, his voice still low and tight. "Now, go talk to her before it's too late."

"I don't want to lose her." said Jay, and cast his eyes downward.

Cole exhaled. He hated to see his brother like this, especially after seeing him for so many years in despair for Nya. Is this why he got together with Danielle in the first place? To make up for not exposing his feelings to Nya?

But Cole's thoughts were interrupted rudely with the loud buzzer of the game timer. The fans erupted in a huge uproar, and screaming at the top of their lungs.

The speaker turned on once more, and the music volume was increased, filling the stadium and the audience, blending in with the excited shouts.

Then suddenly a loud booming voice filled the stadium, and said that the games were to begin.

From one end of the field came the other team, from the other end of the Dark Isand. Half of the crowd was at their feet, cheering excitedly for their home team.

Then their team appeared, running out onto the field to join the other side. This time, the other half of the Dark Island gave a loud cheer.

"AND NOW, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" the booming voice said. "LET THE GAME BEGIN!"

* * *

Stepping through the magical ring was simple, almost boring. Misako was first, and swiveled her body around to take in the scenery.

She stood on the shore of a beach, her taloned feet brushing against the coarseness of sand, and the sound of crashing waves reaching her ears. The area was suspiciously silent, with not one being in sight.

Beyond the beach had been no more than the human's dwellings. At the sight, Misako rolled her eyes with distaste at the sight of human habitat.

But she should know better. A human's trivial activities aren't any of her concern now, and they never will be.

Once Kai is with her, Misako will not have to worry about anything ever again.

The Turans walked through the ring-shaped portal after her, and Wu was the last to step through. The portal remained open, spinning wildly, a whirring noise sounding strongly.

"How much longer do we have before this closes?" Wu asks, his eyes pointed downward, although Misako's back was turned.

Misako didn't turn around to face Wu. She didn't trust herself to remain strong if she glanced his face again. "It'll stay open for as long as we need." she said. "No need to worry."

Wu nodded curtly and turned away from Misako's form. He could feel the terse tension between them, and it crushed into his chest. She may not be his lover, but she was still his friend that had saved him. How much longer would this go on?

Misako scanned the area around her, her eyes sweeping over the empty town. She couldn't help wondering why there was so much open space and unbroken silence. It was almost nerve wracking.

The Turans behind her began to get a little restless. They could sense it too.

"Where are the townspeople?" one asked, nearly murmuring. "Could they have known we were coming?"

"No." another replied. "It's not possible. It's only been us that could have possibly known of our appearance."

"The Overlord isn't here." another peeped. "How do we know that he didn't betray us?"

"Quiet!" Misako suddenly barked, and the whispers stopped. "That's my father you're belittling. I suggest that if you want to stick on his good side as well as mine, you'll shut up and do what I ask you."

"And what is it that you ask of us?" one Turan said clearly, stepping up. "Why is it that you've brought us here? To the Dark Island, the place we only come to during Day?"

Misako turned around to face the Turan. He held her gaze, his brows arched and questioning.

"Because I do have something for you to do." said Misako. "We're looking for someone, someone of great importance to me."

"A human?" the Turan scoffed. "We're looking for a human? That's why we're here? We've just gotten rid of one two years before, Misako, and now you want another one?"

"I don't want just any one." said Misako curtly, staring back at the Turan dangerously. "I want a boy, a particular boy. His name is Kai, and I need him in my grasp."

"You want us to take him prisoner?" said the Turan, smirking, and sounds of approval came from the crowd.

Suddenly Misako gave a shout as she ran at the Turan, and before he could react with his exceptional reflexes, Misako had already pinned him to the sand with a talon to his throat. She seethed, her eyes wide in anger.

"If you hurt this boy," Misako hissed. "If you lay a harmful finger on him, then know this. I will make your life a living hell. There is nothing that won't stop me from torturing you slowly and painfully. And when I'm done, and only when I'm done, I will end your life in the most dishonorable way possible. Do I make myself clear?"

The Turan nodded his head vigorously, fear flooded in his eyes. Misako then immediately stabbed him, her talon entering the Turan's torso, and pulled it out quickly. He cried out in pain, and tried to muffle out his cries. In seconds, the wound recovered itself, but the creature was still near tears.

"That's just a reminder, soldier," said Misako. "of where your place stands."

Misako turned around to face the other soldiers, who now stood attentively on the beach, their eyes wide but otherwise devoid of emotion.

"Your task is this, soldiers," Misako said, staring at them intently. "Find out where my son is. Massacre this entire island if you must, if that's what it takes to get this boy to me. But you will not harm him. You will bring him to me without a scratch. Is that clear, soldiers?"

The Turans cried out in unison, "Yes, Master!"

They kneeled down in front of Misako, their heads bowed. They will do whatever she asked.

Misako grinned and looked out into the empty village.

 _Wherever you are, Kai..._ Misako thought. _...I'm coming._

 **THEY'RE GETTING CLOSER, AREN'T THEY? KAI, WATCH OUT!**

 **THANKS FOR READING, EVERYBODY! NEXT CHAPTER IS COMING SOON.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	15. Bloodcurdling

**HI GUYS!**

 **SO FOR EVERYONE THAT DOESN'T KNOW, I ACCIDENTALLY DELETED A WHOLE CHAPTER, AND THERE WAS A HUGE PLOT GAP, SO NOW I'M FIXING IT. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE!**

Their team was down by ten points, and the game had nearly reached halftime. The crowd was sitting tersely in their seats, hopefully waiting for a turnaround. On the other side of the auditorium, the visitors were cheering loudly for their winning team.

Jay's eyes darted down to Danielle repeatedly, watching her stand anxiously at the sidelines. The game wasn't going well for any of them.

Danielle met Jay's eyes and she waved her hand towards her. She was gesturing for Jay to come down to her.

Swallowing nervously, Jay walked over Nya and Kai's feet and into the aisle, and walked down towards the sideline.

"Hey, you." he said, smiling softly. "You doing alright?"

Danielle smirked. "Could be better." she said nodding her head toward the game. "It looks like we're losing pretty bad."

Jay pulled his lips in a straight line, pressing them together.

"No." said Jay. "I mean, are you feeling okay? You said before that you were feeling sick."

If Danielle had sensed Jay's tart tone, then she didn't mention it. Instead, she waved it off with a flick of her wrist.

"Oh, I'm fine." said Danielle. "Don't worry about that. I feel better now."

Jay nodded slowly, and averted his eyes briefly to look at the game. Then he went to look back at her, and met her eyes once more.

"Are we okay?" Jay asked suddenly, and watched as Danielle's eyebrows tweaked up in minor surprise.

"Of course." said Danielle, as if it were obvious. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"I don't know." said Jay. "Just wanted to make sure."

Danielle smiled brightly up at him, and leaned forward to press a small kiss to his lips.

"We're alright." Danielle assured him, and Jay smiled back, returning the kiss and smiling into it.

* * *

It was delightful how stupid humans were.

Misako grinned as she looked from left to right, and only saw empty houses and empty streets, with the doors unlocked and the empty town ready for the taking.

But it was also extremely infuriating, because Misako still had no idea where her son was.

Turans had the ability to sense and seek anything out, except for each other. Tracking a Turan was entirely impossible, unless they were to leave their tracks behind within the dirt. However, since her son would have retracted his talons by now because of his lengthy exposure to the Sun, there was no way to tell which footprint was his.

Misako blinked against the brightness of the Sun, running a hand carefully through her sweat-damp hair. The Sun was not good for her. She would have to find Kai as soon as possible.

The Turan army wandered the streets, checking each home, but no one was there.

Nobody had any idea that they were even here.

* * *

In the auditorium, the sports fans sat in their seats as they looked at the scoreboard. The game of the decade was nearing the end, and the score wasn't in their favor.

Nya wrung her hands nervously, totally invested in the game, anxiety creeping into her stomach.

She didn't want to know what would happen if they were to lose the game. Nobody did. But there was two minutes left on the clock, and they were still down by several points.

Danielle stood at the sidelines still, but Jay was leaning over the railing now, as if he was there for mere emotional support.

Nya turned her attention back to the game, and that's when she caught sight of the ball.

It was sailing through the air, and it was so quick that anyone could have missed it. The opposing team was dashing for it, but their team got there first.

A player for their team caught the ball swiftly, and was running hard for a touchdown.

The crowd around Nya was screaming at this point, excited cheers and uproars coming up around her. It was the first time in a while that this had happened, because now they _finally_ had a chance at winning.

Nya was up on her feet, and so was Cole, waving their arms in the air frantically.

"AND BRIAN COFFMAN IS RUNNING ACROSS THE FIELD! HE'S MADE FIVE YARDS, UNTOUCHED! UNBELIEVABLE! LOOK AT HIM GO!"

The announcer's voice was loud and proud, and even Nya had to stop for a second to look at Brian.

The well-known football player was sprinting across the field at top speed, and he was _fast._ It almost looked effortless how quickly he crossed the field, the ball in his hand, and dodged the other players like it was nothing. His reflexes were like nothing that Nya had ever seen before, and it almost reminded her of the Turans she had encountered on Ninjago.

Immediately, Nya pushed that thought from her mind, trying hard to keep the memories from surfacing. Now was not the time.

Brian faked a left with a player and lunged hard, just as the buzzer blared across the auditorium.

And before Nya knew it, the crowd was screaming, hugging each other shamelessly and cheering hard.

Nya looked at the scoreboard. 15-16.

They had won.

A flood of townspeople was racing out onto the field, parents hugging their kids, the sweaty players emotionally waving to the crowd.

And for the first time in a long time, Nya felt as if she could feel alright, and she felt a real smile come to her face.

For once, she was part of the winning team.

* * *

A large white tent was set up outside of the auditorium, with food ready to be eaten in a celebratory feast. It had been prepared by both teams, a large potluck made for the winning side.

And tonight, that was Nya.

She sat next to Danielle and Kai, and for the first time, she found herself grinning for more than a minute long. She felt the closest to happy than she had felt for ages.

Friends from school waved to her, as if they had somehow found themselves to forget about her what her brother was, and Nya hadn't seen that before. She had grown used to people just ignoring her, and it never occurred to her before that perhaps she was the one that had been the one judging herself.

Nya waved back to them, and it felt good.

When Brian Coffman walked into the room, everybody stood up and cheered, with Nya among them. She thought she may have been cheering the loudest, but it was very difficult to tell if that wasn't just her elation talking.

Danielle smiled the brightest at Brian, who sat down across from her at the lengthy table. The entire town was all in one area, separated by the grass on the field, and little children played in the shade of the trees absolutely careless.

Brian winked at Danielle, and she felt herself blush deeply.

The food was passed around, and it was absolutely delicious, unlike anything that they had all tasted ok the Dark Island before. Nya playfully smeared pudding on Danielle's cheeks, making her squeal, and Nya laughed in return.

Danielle hadn't seen that spark in her before. Danielle smiled back at her, feeling happiness to see her friend having a good time.

* * *

Misako was picking up the scent, and it was much stronger now. They were all getting closer, and it was obvious that the soldiers were growing more and more hungry for humans.

They had just raided a bus that was heading out from the town, filled with people that seemed to be leaving. The vehicle had sported a "WE LOST THE GAME" sign, which they had ripped clean off. The Turans had eaten each and every one of the passengers, and still, they were longing for more.

Upon the peak of the hill that the army was currently walking over, Misako could see a huge white surface. It wasn't until they had walked over the hill that Misako realized it was a big white tent.

And it reeked of human blood.

A child was playing by a nearby tree, and as soon as the little human boy saw them, his eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped to his chest.

Misako kneeled down next to the little boy, and stared at him with shining eyes.

"If you would be so kind," Misako said. "Tell the humans that the queen of Ninjago is here for the prince."

The boy did not move; he just stared up at Misako with wide blue eyes, as if he was entirely catatonic.

Rolling her eyes, Misako lifted her hand, and showed him her long, sharp talon.

"If you don't do as I say, human." Misako said calmly. "This will go so deep into your mouth that you will no longer speak another word. Do I make myself clear?"

Misako watched as tears slowly appeared in the little boy's eyes, and grinned when he got to his feet and ran back into the tent.

* * *

By the time the banquet had ended, everybody was full with food, and tipsy with drinks. Nya and Cole were deeply involved in a card game in the corner of the room, which had gathered an interested crowd. Danielle was positioned behind Nya, watching the game play out and whispering tips in her ear. Jay was behind his brother's seat doing the same.

Music played over the speakers, the popular kind that everyone would know the words to. Couples danced together in the middle of the tent, laughing and talking peacefully.

So when a bloodcurdling scream blasted into the empty air, everyone's head turned in alarm toward the outskirts of the area, where it had come from.

A child, who was the one that had screamed, ran through the crowd and into his parent's arms, tears in his eyes.

"Th-there's something out there! It's terrible!" the child sobbed, and the mother took him behind the tent to calm him down.

By now, the music had stopped, and the crowd was beginning to murmur worriedly. Some had gone outside to see what was going on, leaving the tent considerably empty.

Nya stood up, noticing the commotion, and wrinkled her brows in confusion.

"I'll see what's going on." Jay said, and walked toward the crying child in his mother's arms, where a considerable crowd had already gathered.

When Jay got there, the child was already blubbering out his story to the people, tears still falling down his face and his small body shaking with fear.

"Th-they had long nails and fur and purple eyes." the boy was saying. "And they told me to run back and tell everyone that they were there."

As soon as Jay heard the description, his face paled, and his blue eyes dimmed and grew wide. Everything seemed to blur into the background, except for the thudding of his own, scared heart.

"I'm sure it's alright." a man said from behind Jay. "He probably saw a dog."

The man's friend next to him laughed. "That's a pretty messed up dog, then."

Jay swiveled around suddenly, and was toe to toe with the man, staring up at him.

"We need to get everyone out." Jay said, and even he was surprised that his voice was beginning to shake. "Please. Everyone is in danger."

The man stared back at Jay in surprise, as if he had no idea what to do, or what Jay was saying.

The boy looked at Jay. "You think I'm telling the truth?" the boy asked, and Jay turned to him. "Everyone thinks that it's just a story."

"It's not a story." Jay said urgently. "We're in danger. We have to find shelter now, before it's too late."

Nya and Danielle broke through the crowd, worried looks on their faces, staring at Jay with concerned eyes.

"Jay?" Nya said. "What's going on? You look worried."

Breathing shakily, Jay stepped closer to Danielle and Nya, and tried hard to get out his words.

"The Turans." said Jay. "They're here."

And Jay could see the exact moment that Nya felt the exact weight of his words, and watched as her face paled, and as her heart dropped to her stomach.

"Turans?" Danielle asked, brows crunched together. "You mean those creatures on Ninjago? How did they get here?"

But neither Jay nor Nya was paying any attention to her.

"Where's Kai?" Jay asked, his voice heavy with insistency.

"He's over by the buffet getting some pie." said Nya, and she quaked slightly. "I'll go get him, before the Turans do."

"What's going on?" Danielle asked, looking between Jay and Nya. "Is everything okay?"

Jay turned to Danielle. "Go get Cole." he said. "And whatever you do, don't leave his side."

At that, Jay turned around and grabbed Nya by the forearm, and ran off to look for Kai.

* * *

As soon as Jay and Nya left, Danielle stalked back to Cole in a huff, and found him still sitting in his chair with his cards in the middle of the table.

When Cole saw Danielle's face of frustration, his look of happiness slowly faded away to confusion.

"Dani?" Cole asked. "Are you okay? What's going on?"

But instead of answering the boy, Danielle seized Cole by his arm and dragged him out of the chair, and across the tent.

"Dani!" Cole exclaimed, dragging on his feet behind her as he was being pulled. "What happened?"

"I don't know." said Danielle, seething. "And I intend to find out. I don't need them to explain it to me."

"What?" Cole asked, breathing rapidly. "What's..."

But then Cole went suddenly silent, and it seemed that he wasn't even breathing. Danielle stopped walking shocked into silence as well.

Because at the front of the tent, a large furry woman stood in front of everyone, a huge grin on her face, staring at them all with gleaming colored eyes.

"That's..." Cole whispered, and he had begun to shake beneath Danielle's touch. "That's...it's not...possible."

Danielle turned to Cole, and kneeled down in front of him. His eyes refocused, and his eyes met Danielle's.

"I-I'm scared." said Cole, his voice a mere whisper, and his face as white as the tent they were under. Danielle swallowed hard.

"Okay..." said Danielle, looking around the room. "Okay. Look. Go hide. Beneath the stage. Hurry."

Cole nodded quickly, and ran away and crouched behind a potted plant, and Danielle tried not to pay attention to the way his body quaked beneath the shrub.

Her head held high, Danielle stalked over to the front of the tent, past the fearful people, and got right up to the strange-looking woman.

"Okay. No." Danielle said, catching the furry woman's attention. "Who the hell are you?"

The woman looked at Danielle with a tilted head, a small smile growing on her face.

"I'm the queen." she said. "And I'm looking for someone."

"So you terrorize some kid?" Danielle said. "Dude, just ask around like a normal person. We won't mind."

"I am not a person." said the furry woman, and for a second, she looked almost affronted. "I am something else entirely."

"Is that supposed to make me afraid of you?" Danielle asked, and she stepped closer to the woman. The crowd behind her let out a fearful gasp.

But the woman narrowed her eyes at her, and the smirk on her face grew brighter as she watched Danielle.

Danielle watched as the woman raised her hand, and snapped her fingers. Immediately, a rush of creatures came in, crowding the entrance of the tent. They all looked identical to the woman, with sharp knife-like nails on their hands, and growling faces.

The entire tent gasped in fear, stepping backwards in an attempt to get away. Danielle's eyebrows raised.

"Dani!" Nya's voice called to her. "Run!"

But then the woman shoved Danielle aside, and and pointed at Kai, who was standing catatonically still next to Jay and Nya.

"Seize my son!" the woman cried, her hand shaking.

"No!" Danielle yelled, and tried to seize the woman's shoulders, trying to keep her from Kai.

But then before Danielle could even lay a finger on the mysterious woman, a sharp pain went into her back, and Danielle cried out.

Turans were running all around the tent, and the one behind her pulled out its talon from Danielle's back.

Danielle could feel herself grow weak and stiff, and she fell to the ground, her vision fading to black.

Before she completely lost consciousness, she saw the townspeople desperately try to get away, only to be cut down, and Kai grabbing his friends and racing out of the tent.

 **SORRY FOR THE LONG CHAPTER, BUT I HAD TO FIT QUITE A BIT IN HERE**.

 **SO HERE IS THE FIX IN THE PLOT GAP. I WILL BE UPDATING ACCORDINGLY.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	16. Lives to Fight For

They had had to pull Jay away from the tent forcefully, who was trying hard to get to a passed-out Danielle in the middle of the floor. But everyone knew; Danielle was gone. She'd soon be taken by the Turans, and there's no way that they would get out of that encounter alive.

The small group huddled behind a wall beside a nearby building, trying hard to contain a frantic Jay. He tried to push away from them to burst back into the tent, but Kai was too

strong for him.

"Jay." Nya said, trying to get his attention. "Please. We have to go. We're not safe here."

"We have to get Dani." Jay replied urgently. "We can't leave her behind. There's no way she'll survive on her own."

"We can't afford to worry about that right now." said Kai. "I want to get Dani back too, but we can't do that _if we're dead."_

Jay stilled in Nya and Kai's touch, staring blankly at the white tent that they had just had to flee from. Turans were still surrounding it, as if they were trying to tear it apart. Screams came from inside; some people made it out, but some did not.

"We got to go." Nya said softly. "We'll find Dani. She'll be fine."

Breathing heavily, Jay shrugged off Nya and Kai's hold, clenching his fists.

Jay's head turned to the white tent, where a Turan had just started tearing at the fabric, and another had began kicking at the supporting poles. With a huge crash, the white tent tumbled down, collapsing on itself. Beneath the thin fabric were outlines of bodies, still and completely unmoving.

Children were crying, huddled by trees and poles, being hugged by their parents or by their sibling. They frantically tried to shush them from their hiding place, so that they could not be found. Turans sniffed the air hungrily, looking for any more humans, with a deadly gleam in their eyes that would send a shiver down someone's neck.

Jay tore his eyes away from the scene, and took a deep breath.

"Okay." he said. "Okay. Where can we go."

Nya and Kai glanced at each other, thinking of the possibilities.

"There's our house." said Nya. "We have to find Mom and Dad. Get them somewhere safe."

"We can get some supplies too." Kai added. "We have some things packed."

"I hope the Turans don't see us." said Cole, glancing around the area at the stampede of creatures.

"I can't even believe they're even here." Nya sighed heavily. "How did they even _get_ here?"

"We'll worry about that later." Kai said. "Let's just get home."

* * *

It was even more terrible around the house. Everything was nearly destroyed, but miraculously, it was empty. The Turans must have just been there.

Immediately, Kai and Nya burst in through the door, with Jay and Cole following close behind.

"Mom?" Nya called. "Dad? Are you here?"

There was no response.

"I'll check their room." Kai said softly, and ran up the stairs, taking two at a time.

Nya left the foyer, and walked into the kitchen to get the supplies that they would be needing. Last time on Ninjago, it was terrible to live with such little food and water.

And if it will be anything like last time, they will need everything that they could get.

Nya inhaled deeply at the thought of Ninjago, and felt the memories of everything that had happened as they washed over her.

And now it was all going to happen again.

Nya could feel herself shake, and could hear her heart pound in her chest as the thoughts ran through her mind. She couldn't move for a long moment.

She flinched hard when a hand lay on her shoulder, and when she turned around, she saw Jay stumbling back in shock.

"Hey, whoa, it's just me." said Jay, cautiously. "Kai...found your parents. They're in the basement now. They're safe."

"Can I see them?" Nya said immediately, but Jay held her back.

"Kai just locked them in." said Jay. "They have enough food to last them for a long time, and he made sure that the Turans wouldn't find them if they came around."

"How?"

"Well when Cole hid behind that plant back there, that shrub apparently blocks out the Turan's tracking senses. And Kai pretty much covered the door with it."

Nya huffed, and didn't reply. Jay's eyes were on her, studying her scrutinizingly.

"Are you alright?" Jay asked, but it seemed that even he knew the answer. Of course Nya wasn't alright.

Nya didn't even try to answer. Her insides were still quaking, the memories that this entire experience was bringing back.

How did the Turans even get here? Why can't they just leave them alone?

"Hey." Jay said, and Nya looked up at his blue eyes. "We'll be alright."

"You don't know that." Nya said softly, almost whispering. "You can't know that. Last time this happened...Zane died."

Jay's mouth straightened at the mention of his name. "I know." he said. "But that won't happen this time. Not again."

Nya rubbed her arms, unconvinced. She suddenly felt her mouth to be dry.

"I can't believe they're here. I can't...it's happening. It's happening again." Nya said, her voice low. She tried hard not to let the tears go past her eyes, and somehow she succeeded.

After a moment, she felt Jay pull her into his arms, and it was as if something within her broke. She had forgotten how long it has been since she had a sincere hug.

Jay didn't say anything. There was nothing that he could say to make it all better and both he and Nya knew it. The only thing that he could do was hold her, so that was exactly what he did.

* * *

"The Turans will be coming again." Kai said as he walked into the room. "So we're going to have to be locking down this house."

Kai reached into his pocket, and pulled out herbs in his hands. They looked like colored flowers, and immediately Nya recognized them.

"Gamot?" Nya asked in wonder. "You still have that?"

"Well, it's a couple years old." Kai said. "It's what we used back on Ninjago, remember?"

Nya's gaze turned to Jay, and she caught him rubbing unconsciously at his arm.

A scar could be seen easily on his forearm, thick and long, and spreading to nearby his wrist. Nya gulped at the sight, and was instantly reminded that he got that scar for _her._

Kai gave each of them part of the herb, and ripped one up for himself.

"We're rubbing this on ourselves." said Kai, and proceeded to drench his face with it. "It'll keep the Turans from smelling us out. There'll be others out there that can cloak us, but this is all that we've got for now."

"I'll take it." Jay said, chuckling, rubbing his hands across his face.

Cole took a handful, and smeared it over his legs and over his small muscled body.

"Don't take too much." Jay told his brother, catching his eye. "Come on, we're supposed to be saving it."

Cole was quiet for a moment. "For what?" Cole asked. "Jay, how long are we going to be out there?"

Jay's hands slowed to a stop, and dropped to his sides. Nya and Kai did the same, turning their eyes to Jay, waiting for him to answer.

"I don't know." said Jay.

"Is it going to be like last time?" Cole asked, his voice shaky and quiet. "Are we going to be running all of the time again?"

Jay didn't answer.

In the next moment, Cole had thrown down his Gamot onto the couch and stood up, anger radiating off of him.

"You know what?" Cole said. "I've had enough of this. Of everything. _My friends might be dead._ Countless people are gone. Dani is taken away to hell knows where. What are we going to do about that?"

"We can't do anything." Nya said quietly. "There's nothing that we can do for them, Cole. We just have to figure it out."

"That's not good enough."

"It's going to have to be." Nya replied. "Because there's nothing else to do. This took us by surprise too, Cole, and we have lives. Lives to fight for. Now do you want to let that go, or do you want to find a way to survive?"

"We can't just run forever." Cole said. "We can't escape. Not with this."

"Then we find a way to get them back to Ninjago." Kai spoke up. "We get Dani back, first. We need everyone here."

"And how do you think we can do that?" Cole asked, looking at Kai with crunched eyebrows. "These Turans are unbeatable. You saw them. You _are_ one. How are we supposed to do that?"

"We'll find a way." said Kai. "We just have to get Misako and the Turans back to Ninjago somehow. Everything will go back to normal."

"And how do we do that, if we have _no idea how they got here in the first place?"_ Cole asked, raising his voice.

Kai didn't say anything. He turned away from Jay, and paced around the empty living room.

"This is not Ninjago." Cole said, continuing. "We're not just going to go on a boat, and everything will be alright. We're doomed."

"Don't say that." Nya said. "That's not true."

"How is it not true?"

"Because now we know what we have to do." Nya said sharply, looking at each of them intently. "We just have to find a way to get Dani back, and find out how Misako got here in the first place."

The living room was quiet immediately, filled with unspoken doubt.

 **THANK YO** **U** **TO "RandomDragon2.0" AND "Guest" FOR REVIEWING!**

 **THINGS ARE GOING TO GET HEAVY. WILL THEY EVER CATCH A BREAK?**

 **I APOLOGIZE FOR THE LATE POST. I'M WORKING ON IT.**

 **GUYS, SOMETHING BAD HAS HAPPENED. I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I'LL BE ABLE TO POST, BUT I'M TRYING. I HAVE A LOT TO JUGGLE RIGHT NOW, AND NOW WITH THIS...'EVENT'.**

 **I'M NOT GOING TO REVEAL WHAT THIS BAD THING THAT'S HAPPENED IS, BUT IT'S GOING TO INTERFERE A BIT.**

 **THANKS FOR CONTINUING TO READ.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **~KTH1**


	17. Spare Me

**ATTENTION READERS: RE-READ THE UPDATED ENDING OF CHAPTER 13 AND 14. A PLOT POINT HAS BEEN CHANGED.**

 **THANK YOU.**

The first thing that Danielle had registered was strong, furry arms clutching at the backs of her knees, anchoring her body. Her torso was draped over a bony shoulder as she swung violently from side to side, causing a deep pit of nausea filling her gut.

She opened her eyes, and immediately, a flood of light met her vision. Wherever she was, she didn't recognize it. She was surrounded by metal, old and decaying. She was

tied to a chair tightly, expert knots holding her in place. She was still in her clothes from the banquet, dirty and and messed with.

Trying desperately to get a good look at her surroundings, Danielle studied the room. It was huge, so it probably wasn't a cell. The only thing restraining her were the

ropes. Danielle tried to untie herself, but the ropes wouldn't loosen. Instead, they tightened around her, as if they knew she was trying to escape. They pressed into her ribs

and lungs, and she gasped.

"I wouldn't try to escape if I were you. It'd be terribly fruitless."

The voice belonged to the female creature from the tent; she was right there in the room with her.

"I didn't want to take hostages." she said. "But you got in the way, and that is one thing that can't happen."

"Let me go." Danielle demanded, and this time, her voice rang out strongly without her trying. "Let me go right now."

"What makes you think you can tell me what to do?"

"I don't, but it's worth a shot." Danielle retorted smartly. "Now if you're not a coward, then you'll show yourself."

The room was still. Whoever was there had gone quiet.

"Oh, don't worry, I won't bite." Danielle said, forcing out a confident and taunting voice. "I'm tied up, remember?"

"You're very indignant for a girl who's been taken hostage." said the female voice.

"That's me. I'm indignant." said Danielle. "Now let me go."

"Think it through, prisoner." the voice said, and Danielle could practically hear the smile in her voice. "It's safer in here than it is out there."

"At least out there I can protect my friends from these...creatures." Danielle said, making sure to spit out her words in disgust. "And based from what stories I've heard, I

wouldn't be surprised if these are the infamous Ninjago monsters that tried to kill them."

The voice fell silent for a few moments. Danielle couldn't help but feel she had made some mistake, or that she had said too much.

"I never revealed where these creatures came from, nor how they related to anything." the voice told her. "You know something."

Danielle fell quiet, hesitating.

"So you do." the voice said, and it sounded dangerously smug. It now had the upper hand. "Yes...after all only a friend of my son would know of such things. Of the

creatures. You know him, don't you?"

"I know who?" Danielle asked, although she knew answer. Realization flooded her mind, making her face deathly pale.

"It's...you." Danielle said, her voice now dangerously close to breaking. "Everyone knows Kai's a Turan. Everyone. But I didn't think...they didn't tell me-"

"That he has a Turan mother?" the voice said. "I'm not surprised. No matter. None of this matters."

Danielle paused, searching desperately for words. This was getting creepy and terribly mysterious, and she wasn't sure she liked it.

"What doesn't matter? Why?" Danielle said, her voice quieter than she was intending.

"I'm here to take Kai back home." said the female voice. "That's why everything is happening. It's all for my son. By the end of today, Kai will be in my hands, and there's

nobody to ever take him away from me."

"You...you're not going to take Kai." Danielle said, her voice low. "You can't!"

"I will!" the voice barked, and it echoed off of the metal walls. "And once I do, I'll destroy anybody who even dares to try stop me. Anybody."

"I thought you said you didn't want to take prisoners!" Danielle cried. "You said you weren't going to hurt anybody!"

"Not yet, I won't." said the female voice, low. "But I will. Everything will be gone. And you will be the first to die. I can promise that."

Suddenly a huge wave of indescribable fear went over her. The thought of death shoved Danielle's stomach into her throat, the thought of no longer being.

She couldn't die. She wasn't ready to die.

She wasn't going to die.

"Please." Danielle begged, her strong façade breaking. "Please. There must be something I can do. Spare me."

The voice paused, as if it was thinking. Then she spoke again.

"If you'll do whatever I ask you," the voice said. "then I'll spare you and I'll let you go."

"Anything." said Danielle. "Anything at all. Please, just spare me."

Another pause. Danielle's heart was pounding.

"There is something that you can do."

Jay had walked off into the kitchen to get a glass of water, and Kai had been sitting the corner for some time now, deep in thought. Nya sat uneasily on the couch next to

Cole, who still had his arms crossed defiantly.

Suddenly Cole gave a huge sigh and stood up, purposefully stomping his feet on the wooden floor.

"We are all just wasting our time!" he said, nearly shouting, and catching everyone's attention. "Why are we just sitting here when we could be out there looking for

Misako?"

"Cole." Nya said. "We can't go out there now. Not while there's Turans crawling all over the area."

"So?" Cole said, sounding ultimately exasperated. He paced the room. "Look, we're going to have to leave anyway. We're going to have get out of here at some point.

Where are we on that?"

Kai stood up quickly, and crossed the room over to the small boy, a look of authority on his face.

"Cole." said Kai. "Think about what we're doing here. If we walk outside of that door, we'll be faced with thousands of creatures that could easily rip out our throats in a

moment. It would be just like Ninjago. Do you want that again?"

Cole's face visibly darkened at the mention of Ninjago, and his body stilled. Slowly, he shook his head, his eyes still dark.

"That's what I thought." Kai said. "Now, we need to think about this clearly. We can't go rushing into anything, not this time. We need an actual plan."

"Oh, who are you kidding, Kai?" Cole said suddenly, and began pacing. "We don't have time to plan! Danielle might be _dead_ , and we aren't even moving an inch!"

Kai kept his eyes on Cole, narrowed and dark, and Nya was looking down at her lap.

"We can't afford to waste time." said Cole urgently. "We have to go."

"We can't leave, Cole." Nya said softly, just loud enough to be heard. "Don't you get it?"

Cole spun around to face her, his face furious.

"And why aren't you wanting to get out there?" Cole said with vehemence. "Dani is your friend. Do you really want another death on your hands?"

"COLE!" Kai shouted. But Cole's words had already been said.

Nya's heart dropped to her stomach.

"Another death?" she asked shakily, barely meeting Cole's eyes, which had widened with realization at what he had said.

The anger was gone from Cole's face, and had shrunk away until it was only soft guilt. Nya's head was swimming, murky with thoughts and feelings that she had hoped she'd forgotten.

Another death. On her hands.

"Nya." said Cole softly. "I..."

"Don't." said Kai roughly. "Leave her alone."

Cole looked back at Nya, and then down to the floor. But Nya couldn't register much of what was happening around her. The only thing she could really feel was the toughness of her throat as she held back tears, and the pounding of her heart.

"I...I got to get water." Nya said, and stood up from the couch, and left the room.

* * *

After Nya had gone into the kitchen, the space between Kai and Cole was tight. Cole could feel guilt all throughout his body, slumping it hard against the couch.

"That was bad, Cole." said Kai softly, barely a hint of anger in his voice. There was just fear and sympathy for Nya, and worry.

"I know, I'm sorry." said Cole sincerely, speaking quickly.

"I know." said Kai. He looked at the boy, watching as he fumbled with his hands.

After a long moment had passed, Kai gave a loud sigh, and kneeled down in front of the young child.

"Look, Cole." said Kai, looking at Cole in the eyes. "You have to listen to us, alright? When you went off alone on Ninjago...it was really bad. We didn't know where you were, or even if you were alive. Your brother would be a wreck if he thought something happened to you."

Cole gave a sigh, but said nothing else. He was not convinced.

He wanted to help.

"Cole." said Kai. "You could get killed out there. Seriously. This island isn't safe anymore. We have to stay here, and we have to plan our next move. If we go in there blindly, we'll probably end up dead."

Cole still looked down at his lap, avoiding Kai's eyes, still faintly purple because of his heritage. Kai sighed again.

"Just please." said Kai. "Don't do anything stupid."

Kai looked toward the kitchen, craning his neck, as if to try to see past the doorway.

"I'll go check on Nya and Jay." Kai said, and turned back to Cole to give him a reassuring smile. "I'll be back."

Kai got up from the floor, and walked away from the boy still sitting on the couch.

Cole looked up at the empty space around him, the silence within the large room nearly deafening. He clenched his hands roughly, a habit that he had developed over time, and looked around.

There wasn't anybody in the room with him.

Cole got up as quietly as he could, and made his way to the door in the foyer of the house, and looked through the nearby window.

The street was nearly a ghost town. Everyone had either evacuated to another place on the island, taken to a hiding place, or been killed by one of the creatures terrorizing the town. The poor odds made Cole's throat burn.

He had to help. He needed to help them.

Cole cracked open the door, and looked around quickly. He turned his head to look back towards the kitchen. Nobody had heard him yet.

Before he could change his mind, the young boy slipped through the open door, and out onto the street, closing the door behind him.

 **COLE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! HE'S GOING OUT ON HIS OWN! I HOPE EVERYTHING WORKS OUT…**

 **SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE, EVERYONE, BUT I'M TRYING MY BEST WITH SCHOOL AND TV SHOWS AND ALL THIS THAT'S GOING ON.**

 **THANK YOU TO THOSE THAT STILL READ THIS STORY. THIS WILL GET MORE INTERESTING AS IT CONTINUES.**

 **IF YOU GUYS DIDN'T READ THE UPDATED VERSION OF CHAPTER 13 AND 14, THEN I SHOULD LET YOU KNOW WHAT THE CHANGE IN THE PLOT WAS. I DECIDED TO PUT MORE OF MISAKO'S MAGIC IN, SINCE IT'S KIND OF IMPORTANT TO THE STORY, AS YOU'LL SEE. SO, THE PLOT CHANGE WAS THAT MISAKO HAD USED MAGIC TO GET TO THE DARK ISLAND INSTEAD OF A SUBMARINE.**

 **THANKS! PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	18. Abandoned Store

Cole ventured out of the house, and looked around with caution. The streets were empty, except for a trail of debris all over the road. It was deserted, as if there hadn't ever been anybody that had lived there.

The young boy ducked behind the bushes, and avoided going out too far in the open. He knew that a Turan could be anywhere. He should know.

Quickly, Cole dashed through the leaves, pushing away branches and sprinting through the grass. He kept his eyes open wide, and attempted to heighten his senses as much as he could.

Soon, Cole came to a stop. Breathing hard, Cole crouched down in the weeds, his eyes darting through his surroundings.

Kai, Nya and Jay were probably far behind him now. He had been gone awhile. How much longer before they realized that he had left? Would they know what he had done?

Cole sighed, and his body slouched down. Of course they wound notice him gone. By now, his brother would be panicking, and Nya would be trying to calm him down. Kai would be sitting still on the couch, his eyebrows bunched together in a concentrated gaze.

It hit Cole hard as he realized how much he'd make them worry. The thought of turning back ran fleetingly through his mind.

 _No!_ Cole yelled internally. _This has to be done. All you have to do is find Misako, and you can go back to them. The sooner you do this, the sooner you're back._

This was enough to motivate Cole to leave the bush and venture out into the empty area. It seemed that the Turans had not yet found this part of the island. But the boy knew that he had little time.

Cole walked purposefully down the street, keeping his senses open, trying hard to hear for any sounds. But everything was absolutely silent.

 _Now, think._ Cole told himself. _Where would Misako be?_

This was easy. Misako was obviously one that would stick close to the power source, or otherwise where she entered from. But that could be anywhere.

How was he going to find Misako if he can't even know where she was? Cole sighed as he realized he had not thought this through at all.

* * *

It had been Nya who had noticed that Cole was no longer in the house. When she had told Jay and Kai, Jay had immediately picked up the nearest vase and hurled it into a nearby wall. The shatter was louder than his anguished cry as it shook the house.

It was surprisingly noisy as Jay tried to calm himself down, and gently, Nya had begun to rub circles on Jay's shoulders as he breathed heavily.

Kai sat on the couch, his hands folded beneath his chin, deep in thought. He had known that Cole was a flight risk. How could he have left him alone like that?

Once Jay's breathing had become soft enough for silence to come again, Nya whispered softly, "Cole is out there right now, and he's looking for Misako by himself. A Turan is bound to notice him. We have to move now before he gets into serious danger."

Jay had turned to look at Nya just then, as if he had just been reminded of her presence. Nya stared back at him, holding his gaze, her eyes almost asking him if he could move on.

Once Jay stood up, the three got to work.

Since it was highly unlikely that they would be returning to the house, they had to pack all of the resources they could. The real fear that their lives could end hung unsaid between them.

Because just like last time, just like on Ninjago, they could die. It was entirely possible that they would not be returning home.

* * *

The three walked out of the house and locked the door behind them. They stepped out into the empty street, and began walking.

After a while, the three came to the reluctant conclusion that they could probably find Cole faster if they split up. Nya ran straight while Jay ran left, and Kai ran right.

It was a lot more uneasy to be alone while an invasion was occurring, and Nya clung to her keys tighter, in case she would have to use them as a weapon soon. Her pocket knife poked from her sheath at her side, heavy and haunting on her waist. She hoped she would not have to use it.

Nya walked for several minutes before her eye caught something strange.

It lay on the sidewalk, blatant and plain for all to see.

It was a red splotch, wet, and definitely blood. Nya's heart went to her stomach.

The blood was wet. It was fresh.

Nya looked up, and noticed she had come to an abandoned market, still neat and tidy. It had been locked up before the game, before everybody had left.

The sound of a door creaking caught Nya's attention, and she swiveled her head around eyeing her surroundings. Her heart pounded, and she tried hard to even her breaths.

A door was ajar, creaking open and closed continuously. It was as if it was waving at Nya, inviting her to come inside.

Nya walked across the abandoned marketplace, her hand hovering over her pocket knife at her side. Once she came to the door, she kicked it open.

The store was small and dark, and unlike the other neat ones, this one was a mess. Stacks of food that had once stood tall was now scattered across the floor, nearly covering every inch. Nya's eyes skittered around, arms outstretched to attempt to see in the darkness.

The Turan came out of nowhere. It dropped from the ceiling and landed on its feet right in front of her. The sudden surprise sent Nya stumbling back, startled.

Nearly nothing was easy to see in the dim lighting, but Nya could see clearly the shape of Cole against the Turan. And it was more than obvious that the Turan was holding a talon to Cole's small throat.

Nya's heart dropped. The Turan must have captured Cole while he was walking through the street.

"Oh look," the Turan laughed. "It's another one of your friends." The Turan shoved Cole with his arm. "Say hello."

Cole didn't speak. He was too busy whimpering in pain and in fear. It was only then that Nya could see the small cut on Cole's throat that dripped a small amount of blood.

A fire of anger was stoked in Nya, and she lunged at the Turan. She already had her pocket knife in her hand.

But Cole gave out a cry before Nya could come any closer.

"Ah, ah, ah!" the Turan teased. "No closer with that knife, or the little boy here becomes nothing but a corpse with a cut through his neck."

Nya's heart hammered and her face burned with anger. The Turan smirked, and shuffled closer to the door.

"No closer." said the Turan, its voice almost a growl.

Nya stared into the Turan's eyes, fury wiring up inside of her. The Turan only sent her a smug smirk, before sprinting out of the door with Cole still tucked under his arm.

Immediately, Nya ran after them, knowing full well that we wouldn't catch up with them easily.

She cut across the street, running past every empty store alley, her eyes searching desperately for Cole and the Turan. Her heart hammered in her chest as she ran, and her breaths came short.

Finally, her eyes caught sight of them, and she stopped dead in the middle of the street.

They were far ahead, but it was easy to make out Cole's small shape and the Turan's large one. Cole was currently trying to struggle out of the Turan's vice grip, but his miniature body was no match for a fit one like the Turan's. It continued to drag Cole forward, yelling and shouting at him.

Nya ducked behind a nearby dumpster to avoid being seen, peeking her head above the surface to attempt to catch a glimpse at them.

The Turan picked Cole up under his arm, Cole kicking and screaming under his hold.

"NYA!" Cole cried, and Nya felt her chest ache. It wasn't long before the Turan sprinted into the woods, and out of Nya's sight.

 **HEY GUYS**

 **SO SORRY AGAIN FOR THE LATE UPDATE. I'M STILL HERE, AND I'M GOING TO FINISH THIS STORY.**

 **TO THOSE OF YOU THAT STILL KEEP UP TO DATE ON THIS STORY, I THANK YOU SINCERELY. I'M WORKING ON A LOT OF STUFF RIGHT NOW, AND IT MEANS A LOT THAT YOU GUYS STICK AROUND.**

 **SO COLE IS CAPTURED BY THE TURAN, AND NYA'S TRYING TO SAVE HIM. WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?**

 **...A LOT OF THINGS ACTUALLY.**

 **WELL, YOU'LL FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	19. Whatever She's Planning

**HI GUYS! I HAVE FINALLY UPDATED THE STORY TO FIX SOME PLOT HOLES. IF YOU'D LIKE TO REFRESH YOUR MEMORY, YOU CAN READ THROUGH THE STORY. IF NOT, HERE ARE SOME RECAPS.**

 **-Misako travelled to the Dark Island using magic**

 **-Lloyd is not a huge machine, just a regular robotic person with enhanced fighting abilities**

 **(HEH THIS SOUNDS LIKE SOME CHEESY HIGH-TECH FANTASY NOVEL DOESN'T IT? OH WELL. :)**

 **I JUST WANT TO CLEAR THAT UP IN CASE THERE IS ANY CONFUSION. THANKS, AND ENJOY THE CHAPTER!**

Nya sprinted hard through the streets, a terrible worry flooding her stomach.

What if the Turans got Kai and Jay too?

Tears of fear had sprung into her eyes, stinging her vision, and she blinked them away.

She nearly screamed with relief when Kai and Jay appeared at the end of the street, running to her, their eyes concerned. It took Nya a second to realize that she was stumbling terribly, and that her head felt light. She had been running to long.

Nya collapsed in front of them as they reached her, and they caught her arms before her knees hit the concrete. She tried hard to catch her breath, rasping in her throat and her lungs taking them in and forcing them out.

"Nya." Jay was saying, sounding a bit muffled. "Are you alright? What happened?"

Nya looked up into Jay's eyes, and quickly found that she had to look away from his sharp and panicked gaze.

"I...I saw him." said Nya, panting. "I found him. Cole. He was in a shop."

"You saw him?" Kai asked, and he sounded near panicked as well. "Where is he?"

"A Turan had gotten to him before we did." said Nya. "He had him captive. They ran off into the woods."

"Then we have to go." said Jay, urgently. "Nya, can you stand?"

Nya nodded slowly, and shaking heavily, she stood up.

"I'm fine." she said, her hand still on Jay's shoulder to steady herself. She had finally caught her breath.

Kai picked up the rumpled supply bag from the street, and slung it over his back.

"Which way did they go?" Kai asked, turning to Nya.

"I'll show you." said Nya, and cleared her throat so that her voice was no longer shaking. She repeated herself. "I can show you."

At that, Nya was at the front, her head now held higher, and Kai and Jay followed her in an anxious silence.

* * *

Cole sat in the dirt, squirming helplessly in the tight ropes that bound him. Two Turan guards stood on either side of him, their talons bared.

It was difficult to tell how long it's been since he'd been taken into the woods, and tied in ropes and forced into the dirt. The Turan guards had alternated three times, and had gone to who knows where. Cole could feel the blood begin to melt away from inside his arms and legs as he continued to sit there.

Where was Nya? Enough time has passed for her to rescue him. Had she abandoned him for dead? She wouldn't do that.

Cole was snapped out of his thoughts by the crunch of footsteps behind him. The only beings he could see that were around him were the two guards. For a brief second, Cole allowed himself to think that the footsteps belonged to Nya, Kai or perhaps his big brother.

But it wasn't. It was another Turan, but this one was different than the standard creature. This one was a female Turan, with brown hair cascading from her head. This one he recognized.

Cole's eyes widened as Misako circled him like a vulture, staring at his tied up form as if it were prey. Then Misako crouched down, and it almost startled him how silent the movement was.

"I know this boy." she said, her voice soft with wonder. "He was one of them. Two years ago."

A soft murmur went around the crowd of Turans as they agreed among themselves that this was true. They remembered him, too. Cole swallowed thickly, his heart beating faster.

"In fact," said Misako. "I could swear that he was with my son. He knows him."

Misako leaned in closer by a small millimeter, her eyes squinting just slightly. Cole felt his lip tremble with fear, and he struggled to keep the rest of his face schooled to stoic.

"Where is my son?" Misako asked.

"I…I don't know what you're talking about." said Cole, but he knew he was lying. Kai had told him everything Misako had told him, shortly after they'd arrived on the Dark Island. Cole hadn't believed it at first, but in the back of his mind, he had known it to be true.

Misko, in response, scowled just slightly, and stood up. Cole looked up at her, and forced his eyes not to let on how much of his soul that fear had overtaken.

"I'm beginning to get impatient, boy." Misako hissed. She had gone back to circling. "I need to know where my son is."

Misako suddenly stopped in her tracks, and turned around smoothly. She had just realized something.

"Think of it this way, Cole." she said, a small smile creeping to her lips. "Once I leave, so do my subjects. They can't survive without a ruler."

Misako glanced at the Turans surrounding them.

"You'd be doing your community a great service if you were to tell me where Kai is." Misako continued. "Because once I stop, they stop. They'll leave your community alone if I do. I have them under my control."

Misako crouched down once again. "So what is it going to be, Cole?" asked Misako. "Are you going to do the right thing, and save your community? Or are you going to let them suffer to save once person? The choice is yours."

Misako's eyes bore into Cole's, as if she could see right through his soul, right through his mind. Cole swallowed again, and he realized how dry his throat felt. He couldn't speak. He couldn't think. How was he supposed to make this choice?

After several moments of silence had passed Misako's slack jaw tightened and she gave out a loud yell, startling Cole.

"WU!" Misako cried. "Guard him!"

Cole gave a start. This was the man that Kai had said was his father.

This was also the man that the others had found dead on Ninjago, beneath a pile of wood, according to Nya.

How could Wu possibly be alive?

How is any of this possible? How is Misako even here?

Cole had taken the last rowboat with the others. Even then, it wouldn't have been large enough to fit the entire tribe of Turans. Any other remaining boats big enough would have been long since deteriorated.

How are they here?

This epiphany of Cole's was interrupted when an old man exited from behind some trees. Immediately, the old man stopped. Cole recognized him. He looked a bit younger than he had on Ninjago, but this old man was definitely Wu.

The old man stood still where he was for several long moments. It was as if he couldn't move.

So Wu recognized Cole as well.

"Don't just stand there." said Misako. "Get Lloyd. I need him to guard the boy in case his friends get any ideas to free him."

Wu seemed to come out of his trance, and turned his face toward Misako.

"I would suggest," said Wu. "that the other…soldiers…stand here as well. In case Lloyd will not hold them off."

Cole couldn't even begin to wonder who this Lloyd was. He was too busy looking between Wu and Misako in wonder and astonishment.

Misako gave Wu a discreet look of danger, as if telling Wu to watch his words carefully.

"Wu, trust me. All we'll need is Lloyd. I have a plan. You've finished with his updates, I'm sure?"

Cole couldn't miss the sinister tone in her voice. There was something that she was planning.

And whatever it was, Cole didn't like it.

Wu left, and came back seconds later with something that made Cole take a double take.

The only way to describe this "Lloyd" was a very realistic-looking android. It looked very human, like Cole himself, but it was so blatant that this was far from human.

Lloyd had blonde hair with a pale colored face, and his eyes were shining purple. His clothes were colored green, long sleeved and flexible, certainly leaving enough room for fighting enemies.

Misako smirked at Cole, as if knowing how intimidated Cole felt. Then she spun on her heel.

"Soldiers!" Misako called. "Let us go. Our work is done here."

Cole narrowed his eyes; Misako definitely had a plan. She wouldn't dare leave him alone if she didn't.

Misako spoke again, and this time, Cole listened intently. He strained his ears hard to hear her words.

"Tell our little helper that it's almost time for her to shine." Misako said, and with that, Cole was alone.

A deep pit of worry hit his stomach hard.

Who was 'she'?

 **OHH! GUYS, HURRY UP, COLE NEEDS YOU!**

 **WELL, THANKS TO THOSE WHO STILL READ THIS STORY. I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER!**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	20. Immediate Action

It seemed to have taken years before they finally found Cole, who sat in a small heap in the dirt, his back against a tree.

Nya signaled to Jay and Kai behind her to stop, and they all crouched behind a tree.

"They better not have hurt him." said Jay, his voice in a low growl.

"It doesn't look like they have." said Kai, who was squinting toward Cole's body. "He's awake, and not in pain. I'd say that's a good sign."

"Focus." Nya whispered, and looks around. To her surprise, the area is empty. "Something isn't right."

Jay and Kai look around as well, and their brows crease in confusion.

Cole is completely unguarded. This is very unlike Misako.

"Be careful." said Kai, who was now whispering. "It could be a trap. This is Misako we're talking about. She would never leave him without a guard."

"Who cares?" said Jay, who was obviously impatient. "That's my brother. Nobody's guarding him. I say we're going in now."

Jay made a step forward from behind the trees, effectively revealing himself from his hiding place. Cole looked up in surprise as his brother came into view.

His eyes showed no relief.

"Jay." Cole whispered harshly. "Go. Get out of here."

But before Jay could begin to question his restrained brother, a small dart flew past Jay's head and imbedded in a tree. Jay had been able to dodge it in time, and threw himself to the ground. He turned to Kai and Nya in urgency.

"GET DOWN!" he cried, and Kai and Nya crouch low to the ground just as a fury of darts fly toward them, narrowly missing their skin.

Nya looked up slightly, just enough to catch a glimpse of what was happening. What she saw made her throat fall to her stomach.

A boy stood there, but it wasn't a normal boy. Instead of an arm, the boy had a long metal cylinder, which had obviously expelled the darts. The boy lowered the gun, and immediately, the cylinder reverted back to an arm.

The boy walked closer, and his empty eyes stared into theirs. Nya felt a shiver run down her back.

What was this thing?

The only one that seemed brave enough to face this Thing was Jay. He got up, and with his pocket knife in hand, ran full speed towards it.

As if the Thing had done nothing else in its life, it gave Jay a powerful backhand to his face, sending Jay sailing through the air.

Nya watched in horror as Jay crashed into a tree, and the dull _thunk_ of his head hitting the trunk sounded through the air. Jay lulled his head from side to side, until his eyes closed.

Jay was out cold.

The Thing turned away from Jay, and continued walking toward Kai and Nya. Nya backed up, standing in front of her brother in a protective stance.

The Thing stopped in front of Nya. It stared into her, with cold, dead eyes.

"What do you want?" Nya asked, her voice surprisingly strong. "Whose orders are you acting on?"

The Thing threw Nya over its shoulder so forcefully and suddenly that Nya couldn't hear herself scream. She landed in the dirt before she could process she was even in the air.

Nya's vision danced, and her head swam. Her leg was stretched out in front of her, and she could see a deep gash in her thigh. Blood flowed from the wound, and she inhaled sharply as the feeling of pain caught up to her.

Nya shook her head clear, and focused her vision.

Kai stood in front of the trees, and had tried to punch at the Thing, because it had Kai's fists enclosed in its hands.

The Thing kneed Kai in the stomach, and Kai doubled over. He kneeled in the dirt, groaning in pain, and Nya tried to stand. But she couldn't do anything with the bleeding gash in her leg.

The Thing slammed its elbow into Kai's spine, and Kai lay facedown in the dirt, completely knocked out.

Nya used the rest of her strength to stand, and heavily put all of her weight on her good leg. She limped toward the Thing, but as soon as she even made a move, the Thing turned to look at her.

It moved with unbelievable speed, and had tackled Nya to the ground. Its still freezing hand was closed around her throat, blocking off her air supply. Nya choked loudly, gasping and wheezing, her throat crushing beneath the squeeze.

The Thing hadn't said a word the entire time. But it spoke now.

"You asked who I was working for." the Thing said. Its voice was hollow and deep. "I'll never tell you. But I will tell you this."

Nya was losing air. Desperately, she slapped at the Thing's hand, pleading for it to let her go.

"I can see into your mind, Nya." said the Thing, and it cocked its head to the side, interested in the way she squirmed beneath its touch. "You're consumed with guilt. You still feel at fault for traumatizing your friends those years ago."

Nya squirmed even more desperately. She could feel the blood rush to her head, and roar in her ears. Tears came to her eyes.

"Please." Nya wheezed. "Let me go."

"Your friends are weak." said the Thing, as if Nya wasn't begging for mercy. "But you…you're the weakest of all. You're worthless."

The Thing tightened its hold on Nya, squeezing with all its might. Nya cried out loudly in unbearable pain as her throat was being crushed.

"I didn't hurt your friends." said the Thing. "But you…you I will kill."

It was a blur after that. There was a dull clang, and the hold on Nya's windpipe was gone completely. Nya gasped and wheezed, breathing in as much air as she possibly could. She instinctively rubbed her throat, and she looked up to identify her savior.

Danielle stood above her, dirtied, and her blonde hair in a mess. Mud was splayed all over her skin, and her outfit was torn.

For several moments, Nya could do nothing but gape openly, her thoughts completely empty except for indescribable relief.

Danielle was pointing the small log at the Thing's head, as if afraid that it was about to reawaken. Danielle looked sideways at Nya.

"Are you alright?" Danielle asked, her voice high from adrenaline. "Did he hurt you?"

Nya tried to talk, but all that came out was a hoarse wheeze. Danielle turned to look fully at Nya, and dropped the log on top of the Thing's motionless body.

"Oh god." said Danielle, the concern obvious in her voice. "Nya, your neck. There's a huge mark on it."

Nya nodded. Danielle looked down, and her eye caught sight of Nya's wound in her leg.

"Let's get that cleaned, Nya." said Danielle, offering down a hand. "Christ, what did Lloyd do to you?"

Nya was so surprised that she found her voice.

"You know its name?" Nya asked, her voice still dangerously hoarse, and her throat still painfully burning.

Danielle suddenly looked like a deer caught in headlights, but the odd expression was immediately changed, making it hard to tell if it had been real.

"When they...took me, they dropped me at their hideout. They made sure I was acquainted with him." Danielle said hesitantly.

Danielle turned and gestured to Lloyd. "I met this…robot thing…when I saw it being updated by this old guy, Wu. Misako described it as a killing machine."

"How did they let you out? You're a prisoner." said Nya.

"I had to take a deal so that they'd trust me." said Danielle. "They tried to bribe me with my life. I was terrified at first, but after I accepted, I realized I could be a double agent, and help you and the others. I escaped from Misako. They're probably after me now. They must have realized I was gone."

A wave of affection came over Nya for Danielle, and she hugged her tightly.

"Thank you." said Nya. "You saved my life."

Danielle wrapped her arms around her friend, returning the gesture.

"Yeah. I knew you wouldn't survive without me." Danielle said with a laugh.

* * *

Jay had a dislocated shoulder, and Kai's back ached terribly.

They sat around the fire, eating the rations of food that they had brought. Danielle had insisted that she wasn't hungry, but Jay had thrust his rations on her without a word.

In order to get Jay's shoulder back to normal, Nya had to tap into her medical knowledge that she had learned in an elective class at school. She put her hands on Jay's bare shoulders and shifted her hands sharply. A dull _crack_ was heard, and Jay cried out in pain as his shoulder was reloacted.

Once the shoulder was back in place, Jay breathed a heavy and pained "thanks".

It took Nya more than a minute to realize that her hands were still on Jay. As if Jay's bare skin burned her, she pulled away sharply. Her face was bright red, and she couldn't explain why.

Jay had noticed Nya's sudden alarm, and he looked concernedly at her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, and reached to touch Nya's red face. "You're warm. Are you sick?"

Nya didn't know what she was, or what exactly was happening. As soon as Jay moved to touch her, she quickly got up to her feet and moved away. Jay barely caught her muttering, "Going to get firewood."

Hours passed, and everybody fell asleep after awhile. The only one that wasn't asleep was Danielle, who was standing guard at the edge of camp.

It was difficult for Danielle to explain, but her head was whispering to her. There were voices speaking to her in her mind, and chills ran up her spine.

Immediately, Danielle knew it to be Misako.

Slowly, and quietly, Danielle got up from her fetal position and carefully stepped over the sleeping bodies of Jay, Nya, Kai and Cole.

As Danielle was tiptoeing, she glanced at her boyfriend. Jay was sleeping, but he was tossing and turning in his sleep.

Danielle watched him for a moment, a wave of guilt coming over her. But the voices in her head were very strong, and somehow, they pulled her away from him.

The voices led Danielle into the trees, until Kai's snores couldn't be heard anymore, and the smoke from the fire was no longer visible.

Danielle came to an empty clearing, the Sun's rays unable to filter through the thick leaves. Danielle looked around.

"Well?" she called. "You called me here. I'm assuming it's important."

A second went by before the leaves rustled behind her, and Misako stepped out into the clearing.

Upon seeing Misako, Danielle smirked, a dark look suddenly in her eyes.

"They bought it." said Danielle. "They think I escaped."

"Good." said Misako. "And they still trust you?"

"Completely." said Danielle. "I think they'll be vulnerable enough for you."

Misako gave a single nod. "And what about my son?" she asked. "How is he? Does he speak of me?"

"He will." said Danielle. "Just give him time. I think he's just in shock from all that's been happening."

"Well." said Misako. "He won't have to worry for much longer. Now that we have his friends where we want them, it won't be difficult to take him back home. To Ninjago."

"Anything you need. I'm there." said Danielle, and she smirked again. "It's fun playing double agent."

"You'll be able to continue for a little while longer." said Misako. "I still need you for something else."

"When?" Danielle asked.

Misako smiled.

"Immediately."

 **WHAT IS MISAKO PLANNING?**

 **YAY, ANOTHER CHAPTER PUBLISHED!**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	21. Sand Bunker

The five began traveling again almost immediately after breakfast. They walked fast, all the while looking over their shoulders. Each of them flinched each time there was a rustle in the trees. Cole almost let out a scream when he saw a purple flowered bush, mistaking it for a Turan's eye. Luckily, Nya clamped a hand on his mouth before he could give them away.

They barely stopped at all as they walked. They had no idea where to go, no idea as to where Misako could be. She could be anywhere on the island, sending out her Turan slaves to carry out her evil plan to capture Kai.

The leaves crunched underneath their feet as they walked through the thick forest of the Dark Island. They were in a new territory now, exploring places that not even Nya had seen yet. They were far from home now, and still searching for any sign of Misako. At this point, they were even prepared to follow a Turan to her.

They only decided to take a break and stop walking when Cole tripped over a root and skinned his knee. The cut was shallow and was almost nothing, but Jay insisted that Cole be taken care of.

Nya wiped the sweat from her forehead as she sat down by the fire, and brushed her dark hair from her eyes. She took out her water flask and took a small drink, and slipped it back into her bag.

Nobody spoke a word. They were all too tired to speak now, but it wasn't hard to tell that their minds were racing.

Kai was the most frustrated. He had tried all day to access his Turan powers, so he could track the creatures to wherever they were hiding. But somehow, someway, they had managed to escape his senses. He couldn't smell or hear them anywhere, and it was the first time that he ever thought of his powers as useless.

As the hours passed, each of them fell asleep. As usual, Jay kept his brother close to him, and Cole barely protested. Nya hugged herself to keep her warm, and even though it took longer, Kai ended up giving in to sleep as well.

The only one left awake was Danielle. Her head was strangely quiet, and for the first time, Misako hadn't been trying to contact her through her mind. It was calm, and that was what made it odd.

* * *

Danielle woke up in a bag. She was swinging violently, and she closed her eyes tightly to lessen the trauma. Flashes of Sunlight reached her eyes, and it was all happening so fast. Danielle felt that she could be sick from the movement.

Whoever had put her in a bag was not trying to be careful with their precious cargo. Judging from the rough movement, they were jumping and landing hard, and sprinting across woods and over roots.

And then suddenly it was over. The kidnapper jerked to a sudden stop, and Danielle used to the time to catch her breath.

The bag dropped, and Danielle landed on the ground. It felt grainy, and she knew that she was lying on dirt.

Without wasting any more time, Danielle threw the bag open and climbed out of the sack.

Unsurprisingly, a Turan was there to greet her, standing in front of her and smiling devilishly.

"So." said the Turan, as Danielle tried to adjust her eyes to the Sunlight. "You're Danielle. Misako's consultant."

"And you're the bastard who kidnapped me and shook me around in there like a frickin' smoothie." Danielle shot back, venom in her voice.

But the Turan only laughed. "She said you were a fiery type." he said. His stupid smile was still on his face, and all that Danielle could do was glare back.

The Turan smirked more, and gestured to their surrounds.

"Take a look around, would you?" said the Turan, his voice sounding smug. "It's beautiful out here. Almost as much as it was during Night."

Danielle rolled her eyes, but she did so anyway.

Surrounding them was the beach of the Dark Island, the calm and mellow part of the ocean. Usually it would be swarming with swimmers, but because of the Turan infestation of late, it was completely deserted.

"Why did you take me here?" Danielle asked, her voice soft now. The Turan smirked at her.

"What do you think?" The Turan asked, and his eyes gleamed purple. "Misako needs to speak to you. There's another part of the plan that you need to know about. Why else do you think I haven't killed you yet?"

Danielle felt a shiver going through her at the mere prospect of dying. She was abruptly reminded why she was even going through with this.

"Right..." said Danielle, and cleared her throat. "Okay, then what are you waiting for? Take me to her."

The Turan looked at her for a moment, and scoffed, shaking his head.

"You really think that you're in control here, don't you?" he asked, sarcasm and smugness obvious in his voice.

Danielle was silent. The Turan scoffed again, and gestured.

"Follow me." said the Turan. "And don't even think about changing your mind and running off. My tribe and I could kill you in a second before you make three feet."

Danielle followed the Turan across the thick sand of the beach, and walked for at least a minute before stopping completely. They stood over an empty spot of sand that would, at first glance, be missed completely. It seemed completely random.

But when the Turan took its talon and scratched an "X" into the sand, there was a loud rumble, and the trapdoor opened upwards. The sand was pushed back to reveal a huge metal door, the same color as the sand.

"A panic room." said the Turan. "Our ancestors built it during the first Night, in case something were to go wrong."

Danielle examined it closely, scanning it with her eyes with interest. She still didn't answer the Turan, refusing to speak. The Turan didn't seem to have a problem with that.

"Hurry up, human." the Turan growled. "She's waiting for you."

Danielle sighed, and climbed in through the trapdoor. The Turan closed it behind him, and on the surface, the sand replaced itself like magic.

* * *

"Ah, Danielle!" Misako greeted, a small smile on her face. "Glad you could come."

"Yeah, I always like having your henchmen kidnap me and shake me like a rag doll." Danielle snipped. "Why didn't you just use your weird...head telepathy thing?"

The Turans, at the mention of the word "telepathy", looked up as if in alarm. Misako bit her lip.

"We don't bring that up here." said Misako. In response, Danielle rolled her eyes. "But to answer your question, it's because I feel that it's safer to cover up our tracks if you were 'taken whilst asleep' instead of leaving your friends behind."

Danielle wrinkled her brows. Misako smirked. "I know," she said. "It is a better cover story, isn't it?"

"Alright, fine." said Danielle. "Doesn't explain why I'm here."

Misako's bright and mischievous purple eyes dimmed, which caught Danielle off guard. Misako inhaled deeply, and let out a long sigh, sounding as if she was weak or tired.

"There has been a recent...development." said Misako. "There is one more Turan that was added to the group, and came from Ninjago himself."

Danielle still was extremely confused. "There's no way that a Turan could do that on his own." said Danielle. Misako's mouth quirked up.

"I know." said Misako. "It's a different kind of Turan, more...advanced."

"Misako, just get to the point." said Danielle. "Who is this guy?"

Then there was a being right behind her, crowding her, wrapping its arms around her shoulders protectively. Danielle's throat caught, and her chest stopped moving. She knew that hug. She knew that smell. She knew that black watch on his left wrist.

"Hello, Danielle." said Brian Coffman of the football team. "Surprised to see me?"

Immediately, Danielle turned and threw a punch, effectively knocking Brian in the jaw. A loud crunch could be heard as her fist hit his mouth, and Brian stumbled back.

"You. Are. Not. Brian." said Danielle, panting, tears brimming her eyes. "So tell me. Right now. Who the hell are you?"

Brian looked up at her, his eyes shining and gleaming with an evil that wasn't there before.

And then right before Danielle's eyes, Brian changed. His body bent backwards to unnatural lengths, and then forwards down to his toes. His head craned to the left and right, and his skin turned darker and darker. The Being gave a scream before there was a soft gleaming light, and Brain was kneeling on the ground.

Danielle stepped back, confusion and fear at what she had just seen overtaking her. The boy that she had been mildly in love with for the past month was not who he said he was. At all.

"Danielle." said Misako, and she sounded even sadder than Danielle had ever heard. "This...is my father, the Overlord."

Danielle turned back to look at Brian, only to find that he was gone. In place was a tall creature, closely resembling the creatures around them, but there was something in the Overlord's purple eyes that told Danielle that this one was different. Very different.

"Your...father?" Danielle asked, disgust in her voice. "I...I made out, cheated on Jay with...your father?"

"It was the only way to infiltrate your little group." said the Overlord, and his voice was a deep velvet, but there was disgust there too. "I didn't realize until very recently that you were supposed to be on our side in exchange for your life."

"Unbelievable." said Danielle, shaking her head. "I've known you for two years. How could you be a Turan? How did you even get here?"

The Overlord's smirk strengthened, as if he was extremely glad that Danielle had asked.

"I arrived on the Dark Island the same way that I've been able to keep the shape of a human boy for two years. I used magic." said the Overlord. "My late wife's magic, to be precise."

"Magic isn't real." said Danielle immediately. "It doesn't exist."

"A lot of things exist that you don't even dream about, Danielle." said the Overlord. "When your friends left the island, I refused to give up, unlike my daughter here. So I followed them."

"How?" Danielle asked.

"He used a spell I created." said Misako, speaking up. "Soared above the clouds so they wouldn't see him."

"I caused a tsunami and everything." said the Overlord, musing to himself. "But my magic wasn't strong enough. I was weak. I fell from the clouds and in the middle of the forest. Nobody was around. So I used the last of my magic to transform my self into a human. Nobody noticed."

Danielle didn't know how to take this all in. She didn't know what to think, or know what was real. The boy that she thought would be different had lied to her, and deceived her. There was nothing about what she knew about Brian that was true. Brian wasn't real.

"It's a lot to take in, we know." said Misako. "We'll let you get yourself acquainted with yourself for a few minutes, but no longer. We have work to do, Danielle. Your friends will try to follow you and keep you from us, and we must prepare. We have plans for them, plans to get my son back."

Danielle turned to look at Misako. She was looking at her with a pained and begging expression on her face, which almost unnerved Danielle. Because now she could see the raw want that she had for her child. To bring him home. And immediately Danielle understood.

Misako gave a nod, and the Overlord led his daughter away, leaving Danielle standing in the middle of the bunker with her thoughts.

 **I'M SORRY FOR THE LATE CHAPTER, EVERYBODY! I HAD TO EDIT THE STORY A BIT SO IT WOULDN'T END UP BEING SO LONG, SINCE THIS STORY IS GOING A BIT SLOW AS IT IS.**

 **THANKS TO THOSE STILL READING.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	22. Flying Unicorn

The tracks lay right at the edge of camp, right next to where Danielle had been sleeping not long ago. She had been replaced with footprints and an indent in the dirt, where the burlap sack she had been taken in had been dragged.

Kai's eyes darted along the dirt as he looked at it, and then stood up straight, exhaling a deep sigh.

Jay was pacing vigorously around the camp, his eyebrows pinched together in repressed anger. His hand made messy circles in his hair as he gingerly rubbed his head; his dislocated arm had only just healed itself.

"She was sleeping right next to me." Jay kept saying softly, as if in a loop. "I should have known..."

"You can't blame yourself, Jay." said Kai, turning to Jay.

Jay paused in his activity, and spun around towards Kai, staring at him intensely.

"And why not?" Jay asked, his voice spiteful. "It wouldn't make any fucking difference what any of us did. We are defenseless against these things, and there's nothing we can do about it."

"You're right, we can't do anything." said Kai, his stern voice beginning to rise. "We can't control what they're going to do, Jay, but we can find a way to get to them and find her."

Jay clenched his jaw, and anger became aflame in his eyes. He was shaking with pure white-hot anger.

"And how are we supposed to do that, Kai?" Jay asked. "What, do we have a fricking spy that can tell us where my girlfriend is?"

Jay made an exaggerated gesture then, and Kai narrowed his eyes at him.

"Oh, no, wait." said Jay, sarcasm dripping in his voice. "Maybe, we have a _flying unicorn_ that we can ride to their hideout!"

"Cut the crap, Jay!" Nya suddenly spoke up, only to be shot down by Kai.

"Maybe if you all shut up for one goddamn second, I can tell you what we're going to do!" Kai snapped, and everyone was so surprised that it became absolutely silent.

"Look," said Kai. "The Turans already have an advantage on us. You're right, Jay. They're fast, and strong, more than we can ever be. But we lose what little chance we have if we lose our focus.

"The Turans are hiding somewhere, and are looking to capture me, and take me away. Once we walk up to them, they will ambush us and most likely kill all of you. The only way we can get out of this alive is if we think this through. The Turans' brawn outmatches the brain. If they were smart, they would have gotten to me by now. But if we do this right, they won't see us coming."

"But Kai," said Nya. "How are we even going to find them? The tracks the Turan left end three feet away. There's no way else to trace them back to their hiding place."

"You're forgetting something." said Kai, a small smirk on his face. "I'm a Turan too. I have the same advantages that they have."

Kai turned around, and glanced down at the tracks. "I can't track the other Turans. They've masked their scent." said Kai. "But they didn't mask Dani. I can follow what Danielle left behind, and we can find the Turans that way."

The others didn't seem to know what to say. They seemed to be busy thinking about the many number of ways that this could all go wrong.

"I think it could work." said Cole, speaking up finally as he got up from his sitting position. "I'm in."

"No, you're not 'in'" said Jay, turning sharply towards his brother. "This is going to be dangerous."

"It'd be more dangerous if I stayed behind, and vulnerable to Turans and alone in the woods." said Cole, his voice somewhat sharp. "I'm going."

Jay looked as if he was going to say something else until he felt somebody lay a hand on his shoulder. When he turned around, it was Nya, looking up at him with soft inquiring eyes.

"We have to get Danielle back, Jay." said Nya. "She's our family, and we can't lose her. We'll need all the help we can get."

Jay looked at Nya for several seconds, and squeezed his lips together in a straight line.

He turned towards his eleven year old brother, his eyes avoiding Cole's, who was looking at Jay hopefully.

"...just don't get in the way." said Jay, finally raising his eyes to meet Cole's.

Cole broke out into a grin, his face glowing. "Thanks." he said.

Kai gave a nod to them, and walked over to gather his pack.

* * *

Danielle sat in the corner of the Turan bunker, observing the other Turans as they prepared further for her friends when they came for her. She watched as they set up traps and sharpened their talons and snickering about how easy it was going to be.

She was jarred from her observances when she saw the Overlord walk up to her as he broke from the crowd of the other Turans.

"Danielle." said the Overlord. "How are you?"

"Fine." said Danielle, ignoring the lack of sincerity in his voice.

"Good." he said. "Because we need your help."

"My help?" Danielle asked. "I thought you guys kind of had this one in the bag."

"It will be easy to kill your friends, yes." said the Overlord. "But we need to make sure that Kai will come with us alive, and for that, we need to make certain measurements."

"Like what?" Danielle asked.

"I'll ask you questions about these friends of yours." said the Overlord. "And you're going to answer them for me. Can you do that?"

"Of course I can do that." said Danielle. "I'm not five."

The Overlord sat down next to her, and it took a second for Danielle to remember that not long ago, this used to be Brian. It unnerved Danielle to no ends.

"You know these people." the Overlord said. "And you were inside their group. Are they planning anything against us?"

"Not from what I heard." Danielle replied easily. "They didn't talk much around me."

"Do you know anything?" the Overlord asked. "Anything at all?"

The Overlord looked at Danielle with hopeful and pressing eyes, and that's when it hit her.

If she didn't give them some information, they will no longer have any use for her. The thought forced Danielle tried to imagine the slow and painful death that the Turans might give her, and it made goosebumps rise to her skin.

Danielle swallowed nervously, and said the first thing that came to mind.

"But Jay is an over-thinker." Danielle said after a moment. "He'll want to pull a double bluff on you guys, and go through the front."

"Are you sure?" the Overlord asked, his voice low and eager.

"Positive." Danielle replied confidently. "And he has a dislocated arm that only just healed. He'll be weak. And Kai's back is in minor pain, enough to slow him down."

The Overlord smirked and stood up. He laid a hand on Danielle's shoulder, and Danielle tried not to pay heed to the talons close to her cheek.

"You've been rather helpful." said the Overlord. "And there's more needs for you yet."

"Like what?" asked Danielle.

"Your friends do not yet know of our arrangement." said the Overlord, and emphasized on the word arrangement. "When they realize what has happened, they will be weakened from sentiment, and it will be that much easier to kill them."

"I don't think they'll have enough sentiment for me to make them weak." Danielle said with a laugh. "Believe me, I might not be that important."

The Overlord smirked. "Danielle, they care about you so much that they think of you as family." he said. "Believe me, I was on the inside for two years. They love you."

Danielle was silent as she listened to the Overlord's words.

"That's why we had you dismantle Lloyd." said the Overlord. "That was how we had you earn their trust."

But Danielle had spaced out.

Do they really love her?

The Overlord gave a laugh. "That's why you are so important, Danielle." he said. "You are our weapon. They might be easy to kill, but you will make it painful for them. It'll be a great payback from escaping from us on Ninjago."

Danielle's face paled, but the Overlord didn't seem to notice as he turned on his heel, and walked away from her.

 **PLEASE REVEIW!**

 **-KTH1**


	23. Wasn't the Only One

Tapping into his Turan senses was a bit more difficult than Kai had thought. But looking back, Kai realized that he had never had to use his powers before, which made him overall inexperienced.

How the hell was Kai supposed to know which smell was Danielle's, and which was some mating bug's? How was he supposed to differentiate if he was hearing Danielle's distanced voice, and not the squeaky sound of a bird?

Nonetheless, Kai tried his hardest to seek out Danielle's scent hidden in the dirt and the air. It was the only option that they had to find her. If they couldn't defeat the Turans, then they could at least stick together.

After walking for hours, trying to find a direction using Kai, they found shelter from the Sun underneath some trees. Once more, they set up camp, so that Kai could have time to get his bearings.

Nya left immediately to head down to the river, so that she could refill her flask. She had tried hard to use the forest scenery to distract herself from her hunger and thirst.

Footsteps sounded behind her, and before her instincts could even tell her to throw a punch, her hand was blocked by Jay.

"Relax." he said. "It's just me. I just came to refill my bottle."

Jay released her wrist, and Nya pulled away immediately. He was already invading her personal space by sneaking up behind her.

The two sat in silence by the river, taking a deep drink, and exhaling in relief when they were done.

"Are you worried?" Jay asked suddenly, slightly startling Nya.

"Well I think I am allowed to be, don't you think?" she replied with a finality. She didn't feel like talking, especially not to Jay.

But that was something that Jay didn't seem to catch, since he said, "Well, I'm worried. I don't think we're ready to fight these Turans, or even if we're going to get out of this alive."

Nya lifted her eyebrow, but continued not to say anything, trying not to meet Jay's blue eyes.

Jay, thankfully, didn't seem want to say anything more. He seemed suddenly silent, and when Nya turned to glance at him, she found that he was already staring at her.

There was something in his eyes that Nya had not seen in years, and somehow, she was torn between feeling creeped out or feeling soft inside.

"What?" Nya asked.

Jay shook his head, waving it off. "Nothing." he said. "It's just...I missed you."

That came out of nowhere. "What?" Nya asked, taking a double take.

"No, I mean," Jay said hurriedly. "We just don't hang out anymore. That's all."

"We haven't exactly had much reason to do so." Nya responded. "I mean, we all kind of...went our separate ways. Moved on. Right?"

Jay looked awkward, squeezing his mouth together and fumbling with his pockets as if he were trying to find something to say.

"Well," said Jay. "I really just wanted to give you space. I thought you'd want to be by yourself. Especially after...what happened."

 _Zane._

The unsaid name hung in the air between them, and it made Nya squirm unsettlingly.

"You know, I thought..." Jay said, obviously struggling with words. "I thought you didn't want me around. And then when you stopped talking to me and avoiding me, I kind of got the hint that you wanted to be on your own."

Nya suddenly felt angry.

"And you didn't think to talk to me? See how _I_ felt about that?" Nya spat. It seemed to take Jay off guard. "I was lonely, Jay! It was enough that I lost Zane, but then I lost you too! How do you think that felt?"

Jay looked at Nya, his jaw tightened, staring into her eyes with such pity that it suddenly felt infuriating to Nya.

"Don't look at me like that." Nya demanded. "I don't need you to feel sorry for me."

It was Jay's turn for frustration to show on his face.

"I don't pity you, Nya." said Jay. "I care for you. There's a difference, and you seem to have closed yourself off to it.

"You refuse anyone who might even give a crap about you, except for maybe Danielle! You weren't the only one that was lonely these past couple years, Nya! It was hard for me too! I had nightmares every time I closed my eyes. I almost punched Cole in the face when he woke me up once because I thought he was a Turan! I dreamt about Zane, and wondered every day if there was possibly any way to have gotten to him on time. I was angry and sad for so long, and I dealt with it on my own. And then when you stopped talking to me, I only realized then that you were angry with me, and I didn't do anything wrong! The only person that I could talk to about this was Dani, who I only knew because you were friends with her. And even after I started dating her, you wouldn't even look at me! So excuse me if I'm trying to make up for some lost time, because I know there's a chance that we won't get out of this alive."

Jay stood up in a huff, leaving Nya stunned, and grabbed his flask from beside him in the dirt.

When Nya saw Jay begin to turn away from her and walk off, something compelled her to stand up in a hurry, and grab hard on his shoulder.

"Wait." Nya said, before she could stop herself. "Wait. Stay."

She didn't beg. She didn't have to. It was enough to make Jay turn back around to face her, and suddenly it felt like he was standing too close.

They were both silent for a small moment, just standing there in front of each other, quite unsure of what to do.

Finally, after what felt like years, Jay cleared his throat.

"Right." he said. "I'm sorry. I don't know where...that all came from."

Nya heard herself stutter for a second before she said, "No. No, it's fine. It's...it was what you were feeling...and stuff."

"I don't hate you." said Jay. "And I'm not mad at you. I just...missed you."

Nya swallowed, just to generate some noise to try to clear the obvious tension that had somehow grown between them. And what was weirder is that now her heart was beating fast, as if she had just finished a vigorous exercise, and as if she was apprehensive of something. But she couldn't pin down what.

"Yeah." Nya finally replied, and forced herself to look into Jay's eyes. "Yeah, me too."

Jay lifted his hand, and placed it on top of Nya's, which was still squeezing his shoulder slightly. The pressure had somewhat lessened at some point, one that Nya didn't even realize occurred.

His hand held onto hers, and brought it down between them, clasped together. Jay moved a step closer to Nya, his blue eyes shifting to hers, and it felt like they were drilling into her soul. Nya could feel her heart beat faster, and the apprehensive feeling increase within her.

The only thought that ran through Nya's mind at the moment was, to her immense surprise, was, _Is he going to kiss me?_ God, she felt like such a lovesick little girl.

Nya could see Jay lean in closer to her, and now they were sharing body heat. His free hand dropped his flask, which landed in the dirt, so that it could snake around Nya's hip.

By now, Nya was frozen, which had never happened before. Especially not with Jay.

Jay began tilting his head to an intense angle, so that his nose touched Nya's cheek. Jay's skin was soft and warm, and it made Nya lean in a fraction of an inch, instead of pulling away like her instincts were telling her to do.

Nya could see Jay's throat move as he gulped, and she immediately did the same. Her eyes trailed down his face, and onto his lips. They were so close, too close, but also not quite close enough.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Jay and Nya jumped away immediately, startled, their eyes wide.

Kai stood by the forest trees with an incredulous look on his face, looking between the two of them in mild surprise and confusion.

Jay cleared his throat, a measly attempt to save the situation.

"No." said Jay, and his voice sounded steady enough. "No, nothing."

"Good." said Kai. "Because I think I've figured out how to track Danielle. We're going to get back out there in a few minutes, so be sure your flasks are full."

Kai turned away from Jay and Nya slowly, as if suspicious of them for some reason.

Once Kai had walked clean out of sight, Jay and Nya glanced at each other, their eyes speaking many words.

Nya looked away first, and cleared her throat softly. "I think...we should..." Nya said, but her voice sounded sad. They both knew she wasn't talking about the camp.

"Yeah." Jay said softly, staring at Nya still. "You're right. We should probably...forget."

Nya smiled softly at him, scoffing slightly at him. She walked away, and Jay followed suit.

 **AND...BOOM! A CAN OF JAYA TENSION HAS BEEN LET LOOSE!**

 **SO YEAH, HERE'S ANOTHER CHAPTER THAT I ACTUALLY WORKED ON PRETTY QUICKLY. THAT HASN'T HAPPENED SINCE I WORKED ON THE PREVIOUS WORK IN THIS SERIES (WHEN NINJAGO FALLS TO NIGHTFALL). WELL, I MUST SAY, I AM A BIT PROUD OF MYSELF.**

 **THANKS FOR YOUR REVIEWS, GUYS. THEY REALLY ENCOURAGED ME TO KEEP GOING, ESPECIALLY IN TIMES THAT I THOUGHT I OUGHT DISCONTINUE THE STORY. SO REALLY, THANK YOU.**

 **KEEP IT UP!**

 **-KTH1**


	24. Zane's Legacy

Misako had locked herself in the control room, and was now pacing across the floor, rubbing her hands so roughly together that her talons scraped. Her thoughts were running wild, and her senses were spiking.

Kai was growing nearer. She could almost feel it.

The door to the control room opened, and Misako stopped in place, looking towards the door.

Wu walked in, and saw her, and he stopped too. The silence between them was tense, and seemed to last forever.

Misako cleared her throat loudly, not meeting Wu's eyes. "What are you doing in here, Wu?" she asked. "You're supposed to be out there preparing."

Wu looked up at her. "I was." he said. "But I thought it best if I talked with you first."

"Then talk." Misako replied immediately.

After a moment, Wu inhaled deeply, as if looking for words to say.

"Misako," Wu started. "I want to ask you about him. Kai. Our...I mean, _your_ son."

"Why?" Misako asked, almost sarcastically. "Our mission is to get him back. End of story."

"Yes, but _why?"_ Wu said, stressing his voice. "Why, Misako? What is the point of this?"

"The _point?"_ Misako said. "I _told_ you what the point is, Wu. The point is so that I have a family. An heir to the throne, too. That's why I brought you back!"

"No, I understand that." said Wu. "But-"

"No, there's nothing else to it, Wu!" Misako interrupted. "You wish to know why we're doing this? Why I'm doing this? It's because I'm tired of being alone."

Wu stared at Misako, and she ran a hand through her growing brown hair. The air was silent now, and more tense than it was when Wu had walked in.

Misako inhaled sharply, refused to let tears fall as she spoke.

"When I left Kai," Misako breathed. "It was like everything had just grown worse. Like everything was wrong. Not like it should be. It didn't feel natural to leave my son. But I had to, and I had to live knowing that my son was out there somewhere, so close, but just out of reach."

Misako turned away from Wu, facing the back wall of the room, and tried hard to steady her breathing as she fought down the painful memory.

The sound of her son's cries.

The feeling of loss and regret in her throat, and leaking into the rest of her body so that it almost shut itself down.

Her heart pounding as the realization, and the heartbreak, grew.

"You were gone, Wu." said Misako, her voice beginning to waver. "You left. I was on my own, and I was young. My father would have killed me if he knew I had a son with a human. The only reason that he hasn't yet is because he needs an heir to the throne after I'm gone."

Misako could feel rather than hear Wu walk over to her, and gently lay a hand on her shoulder. Misako turned around, and finally met his eyes.

"I won't let it happen, Misako." said Wu. "He can't kill you, not while I'm here. And he won't kill my son."

Misako looked down to the ground, but Wu softly laid a hand on her face, making her look up at him again.

Weeks after his resurrection, the age that had shown in Wu's features had slowly melted away. Now he looked younger, not that different than when he was with Misako.

And now that was all able to be seen, because Wu was standing very close, and Misako was brought back to the bunker on Ninjago, when she had kissed him. His words that he had said still rung in her ears, but somehow, that was all erased.

Wu stared at Misako's eyes intensely, as if trying to tell her something without speaking. Misako stared back, as if daring Wu to break away, while also praying that he wouldn't.

A moment later, Wu gave her a soft smile. He turned his head away from her, and walked out of the control room without a word, leaving Misako to stare at his back as he left the way he came in.

* * *

Kai's eyes had begun scanning his surroundings as soon as he had told the others it was time to take a break. He tried to get all of his senses to cooperate now, tried to get them under control. Just like a normal Turan would.

 _Focus._ Kai told himself. _Listen. Look. What do you see?_

But it was just a normal forest, a normal camp. Nothing special about it, except for its sharp resemblance to the trees on Ninjago.

Kai twisted his head sharply away, closing his eyes shut. Cole looked up from staring down at his lap, and squinted his eyes at Kai in concern, but said nothing. Kai inhaled sharply.

And as soon as he breathed, Kai's head began to ache. It was unlike the Rushes that he had experienced a couple of years ago on Ninjago, before he established an actual connection with Misako, and they had disappeared. No, this was a different type of pain, one that seemed to make him feel better rather than worse.

Then as soon as the headache had come, it was gone. Kai could hear himself breathe heavily, and could hear his heat pounding in his ears.

And he could smell something. Something new. It was tasteful, and it was a thick smell.

And in the next moment, Kai knew that this new smell was his sister and Jay. They were down by the river. Somehow, he just knew that.

A small hand lay on Kai's shoulder, knocking him out of his newfound powerful stupor.

"Kai, are you alright?" Cole asked, and Kai could only look up at him.

Because all he saw of the little boy was red. His face was velvet, and it almost made him look like some foreign creature.

And his smell was thicker than Jay and Nya's were. They were far away, while Cole stood closer to him.

Cole was still looking at Kai with unease, and Kai blinked. The red in Cole's face was gone.

"I'm fine." said Kai, as he squinted hard on Cole.

He can control it. That's a good thing.

"Are you sure?" Cole asked uncertainly. "You look...different."

Suddenly Kai felt energetic, and he jumped up from his seat in the dirt.

"I'm positive, Cole." said Kai. "Now come on. We're ready. I'll get Nya and Jay from the river, and then we can go and find Dani."

Cole popped up too from his crouching position, and he too looked more energetic.

"You mean you figured it out?" Cole asked, beaming excitedly. "You can track her now?"

Kai inhaled sharply again, and his new vision and his senses were back. Kai gave a laugh, a cheer, and said, "I can track her now."

He sprinted down the dirt trail, headed for the river, feeling elated. Things were finally going right. Now he can get Danielle, and the entire _tribe,_ and they can fight. They will fight.

"Am I interrupting something?" Kai said as he stood near his sister and Jay, with their hands entwined together.

Jay and Nya looked ultimately alarmed at having been discovered, and immediately jumped apart.

"No, no, nothing." Jay said, a weak attempt in Kai's opinion.

After Kai turned away, he walked as far in front of them as he could possibly get.

As soon as he got to Cole, he grabbed his pack from the dirt aggressively, and slung it onto his back.

"Hey, what's wrong, Kai?" Cole asked, looking up at him. "You alright?"

Kai didn't reply to him, and Cole didn't reply.

And if Jay and Nya were more quiet and awkward around each other than usual, nobody mentioned it.

As they walked, Kai inhaled sharply, letting air into his lungs and his brain, and allowed his senses to overtake him.

It was almost overwhelming how much his powers affected him, and how everything appeared. He could feel all the energy around him now, and could smell things, and knew exactly where they were.

Kai thought of Danielle, and how she needed to be found. She had to be brought back safely.

If they had just gotten to Zane sooner on Ninjago, then he'd be safe. If they had known that he was in danger, they could have been there for him. If they couldn't save Zane, then they'll have to save Dani. That could be his legacy.

Concentrating his thoughts on Danielle, Kai suddenly felt a shift in his mind and his body. He stopped in his tracks, and the other three behind him did the same.

"Kai?" Nya asked. "Something wrong?"

There was a distinct smell in the air, and Kai knew, just _knew,_ that it was Danielle's.

But alongside her smell was the smell of sand, and saltwater. She was at a beach. She was by the ocean.

Kai turned around to face the rest of them.

"I know where she is." Kai said, and his breath was short. "I can sense it. I can sense everything."

After a long moment, Jay broke out into a smile.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Jay asked. "Let's go get her back, then."

Danielle fiddled with her hands the entire time that the Turans lounged around, celebrating the victory that they already thought they had.

They don't love her.

She's just a convenience. Someone to have around, to cry on her shoulder.

Nobody loves her.

The one person that she thought would have even come close to loving her turned out to be an old king of a tribe of monsters.

This just doesn't happen.

It won't happen.

Nobody loves her. That was important to remember.

But what if it's not true?

Danielle looked up from her lap, her neck aching from it being bent for so long.

The creatures that kidnapped her, and are using her to kill the only people who ever might have loved her, are sitting feet away.

What the hell was she doing working with them?

 **SORRY FOR LATE UPDATE EVERYONE! THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT YOU'RE GIVING ME. IT HELPS A LOT!**

 **SO I HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN ABLE TO PUBLISH BECAUSE MY BIRTHDAY IS IN A COUPLE OF DAYS (MY 15TH. YAY!) AND IT'S JUST BEEN BUSY. SO I'LL DO AS MUCH AS I CAN.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	25. Monster's Tears

Kai followed his newfound senses for hours on foot, following the single thick scent through the woods and trees. It was deadly quiet around them as they continued to walk. Nobody made a noise, and nobody said a word.

The Sunlight had begun showing itself through the leaves more and more as they got closer to a clearing. It was almost blinding after having been in the dark shade for several days straight.

The whole time that they walked, Nya made sure to keep her distance from Jay, and kept her glances to him to a minimal.

It was difficult not to think about what had happened down at the lake. Not to remember everything about what they did, or how it felt. And it ached something awful to know that it can't happen ever again.

After all, as far as she knew, he was still planning on being with Danielle. As far as she knew, he still loved her, not Nya.

What if Jay decided to stay with Danielle after all of this was over? Would it be easy for him to forget what had happened between them? Had it meant nothing to him?

The thought made Nya's insides rock. What if they didn't talk to each other again?

Nya's palms rubbed at her upper arms, the thoughts running wild in her mind. Why did she care so much? When had it all become so complicated?

As Nya became submerged in her thoughts, the ground changed, and she was no longer stepping on dirt anymore. Her foot stumbled, and she caught herself and steadied her feet on the new soft ground.

Sand. She was standing on sand.

Finally looking up from the ground, Nya's eyes darted through her new surroundings.

They were standing on a beach, completely empty and deserted, with silence that stretched for miles.

Nya recognized this beach. It was the same one that they had arrived at on that boat those few years ago.

Everybody around her was silent, and Nya could tell that they remembered too.

"So." Jay said, breaking the quiet. "She's here then? You tracked her?"

"Danielle's definitely around here." Kai said. "She's got to be straight ahead. Probably underground, because of how faint the smell is."

Jay nodded, as if to say, " _good enough for me",_ and started walking through the sand and into the hot Sunlight. Kai followed, walking next to him so that he could still lead as he tracked.

Nya watched him go from behind, and a wave of sadness came over.

It was almost as if she's got to practice to watch Jay walk away from her.

Again.

* * *

The Turans in the bunker had been able to smell the humans from half a mile away, and did little to prepare for their encounter with them. Most sat in the corner sharpening their talons with smirks on their faces, and others were eating and talking with others as they used the barrels as tables. Some were even playing a card game.

Misako refrained from rolling her eyes. This was, of course, going to be an easy fight. They would win in an instant.

Just as that line of thought had crossed Misako's mind, the sound of someone clearing her throat came from behind her.

Misako turned around, and she met with another soldier, who was looking up at her with a tinge of fear, but also with smoldering danger.

A true warrior, she might be able to add.

"What do you want?" Misako asked, not bothering to try to keep the curtness from her tone.

The Turan cleared his throat again, but then stood straight, and seemed to try hard to look at Misako in the eye.

"Misako-"

 _"'Your Highness'"_

The Turan looked up, looking slightly startled at Misako's correction, but immediately brushed it off.

"Your Highness." he said. "I was only wondering...if I could have your permission to be the one to bring your son back to Ninjago. To be the one to take him through the portal once we have him."

Misako looked at the Turan soldier quizzically.

"Why ask this?" Misako said, and the Turan's eyes intensified.

"I want revenge." said the Turan. "Your son, the _prince,_ killed my brother. On Ninjago. He ripped him apart to shreds, and wouldn't stop."

Misako's eyebrow twitched. "When was this?"

"It was the first time that the prince had discovered his...true heritage." said the Turan. "He had the little boy with him, who I believe to be Cole. The prince unsheathed his talons on my brother, and even accidentally scarred Cole's ear."

"Ah yes." Misako said. "Your brother. I remember now. And now, you seek revenge with my son?"

The Turan's intensity was immediately lost, and was then replaced with fear and timidness.

"If Your Highness would grant me the permission." said the Turan, daring not meet Misako's eyes.

Misako sighed, and stalked over to the Turan solider, shaking her head. Once she was close enough, Misako laid a rough hand on his shoulders, her own talons brushing the Turan's back.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Misako whispered softly, shaking her head. "Solider, how many times must I tell you? How many times must I remind you?"

The Turan looked up to see Misako's face, and now a tear was threatening to fall from the soldier's eyelids.

"You've always had a weakness for your emotion." said Misako. "For your brother. It was always troubling to me."

The Turan looked up at Misako, who then brushed away the tear on his cheek.

"Real soldiers mustn't have feelings." said Misako. "My feelings for my son, and my feelings of longing for a family...it's all apart of me. But they shouldn't be apart of you. I made sure of that, don't you remember?"

The Turan looked away, even twitched, under Misako's gaze and touch. A second later, Misako unhanded him.

"Now go outside." said Misako. "And tell the others that I can sense my son getting closer. We must prepare to enter the portal now."

The Turan was silent for a moment, trying to speak through his tears. "Yes, Your Highness." he finally croaked. "And what of my request?"

Misako looked down at the soldier, and a small, demeaning smirk appeared at her lips.

"Your request for permission to take my son is granted." said Misako. "But do not harm him. Not even with a scratch. He is precious cargo, after all. The heir to the throne."

The Turan gave a nod.

"And don't forget," Misako added. "You can't return to Ninjago unless I walk through the portal. I must enter last, because I began the spell, and I must end it. Make sure to remind the others."

The Turan nodded again, and turned on his heel, and walked out the door. The metal slammed shut, and the room was silent once again, with Misako staring after the Turan with her mind racing with wariness.

* * *

Danielle was the first to climb out of the hatch, so that she could be able to see Kai and the others if they were out there. The other Turans had taken another door out so that they could sneak around and attack from behind.

It seemed to be empty out on the hot, bright beach. Nobody was in sight, but Danielle knew better than that.

Danielle shut the hatch door behind her with a loud clang, making sure that the noise was loud enough for them to hear. She stood up straight, squinting her eyes against the Sunlight, searching the area around her.

"...Danielle?"

The sudden noise in the empty landscape nearly startled her, and she stopped short. She allowed a small smirk to play onto her lips as she turned around, and her eyes met Jay's.

Jay was staring at her with awe and relief, a soft but wide grin on his face that showed his teeth.

And then Jay was hugging her tightly, and she was hugging back, because it was so nice to see him. It was nicer that Danielle would have thought.

"Are you alright?" Jay asked, breaking from her, and grabbed her arms so he could have a better look at her. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

Danielle shook her head. "No, Jay, they didn't hurt me." she replied.

"Well they kidnapped you!" Jay breathed, because his breaths were rapid. "You were gone for days! We were looking for you!"

Jay then stopped and looked at her with confusion. "How did you escape?" he asked. "I would have thought the room would be swarmed with Turans, to make sure you didn't get out."

"It wasn't easy." Danielle said, shrugging. "But I did it. It's a long story."

It was almost difficult to lie to Jay like this, especially when he was looking at her like that.

Except now he was looking at her a bit differently. Almost guilty, almost _sad._

Had something happened while she was gone?

Had something happened with him and Nya?

Danielle immediately forced the thought from her mind. It'd be better to cross that bridge when they get there.

Jay looked down, forcing his eyes away from Danielle's, and took her hand in his.

"Come on." said Jay. "We've got to go before they get back. Before they realize they're gone. They have a really strong sense of smell, you know."

Danielle laughed. "Yes, I know." she said.

As they walked, Danielle looked around, and her eyes met purple ones behind a bush. The Turan gave her a small nod, telling her that they saw her. It then waved to the others crouching down next to him, and they disappeared.

They were following Jay now.

Danielle gulped. "Jay..." she said, and for a second, she thought about telling him about the Turan's plan, and they would run away together. To escape.

But in the next second, Danielle decided against it.

"Um...where are the others?" she said instead.

Jay smirked, and nodded to the far end of the beach, behind some trees shrouded with bushes.

"They're over there." said Jay. "They're safe."

"Um...can you point?" Danielle asked, and Jay looked at her quizzically. "Uh...so that I can see them."

Jay looked at her with confusion and suspicion for a second, and stopped walking all-together. Danielle could see the gears turning in Jay's head, and her heart dropped to her stomach.

Finally Jay pointed his finger over to the bushes, but his suspious and narrowed eyes never left Danielle's face.

Danielle's eyes shifted slightly to the side, and she saw the Turans follow where Jay was pointing.

Danielle had successfully led them to her friends.

"Oh, I see now." Danielle said, trying hard to feign surprise. "Ok, cool. Well. Time to, uh, move on then?"

Before Jay could question Danielle's odd actions, she was already walking ahead of him, as fast as she could without being more suspicious than she already was.

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	26. Dropping Hearts

Jay led Danielle through the trees and bushes, and into a small shady area, where lumps of tall grass were growing. The trees over there had thick trunks that almost completely closed off the area. Jay hadn't been kidding when he said they were safe.

Danielle stuck behind Jay, thoughts running wild in her head, worry lining her mind.

How will they react when they find out that they've been betrayed?

"Don't worry." Jay said, as if he could see her worry lines clear as day. "We really are safe here. We coated our smell with these berries. We tested it on Kai, and it works. There's no way those Turans will be able to sniff us out."

Danielle couldn't find it in herself to say any words, which seemed fine with Jay. He must be thinking the she was still traumatized from her stay with the Turans.

But that wasn't it at all. And he had no idea.

As Danielle's stomach was doing somersaults, Jay stepped through into a small clearing, his face pulled into a grin.

"Guys?" Jay was calling. "I have somebody who you'd like to see."

Danielle could see everybody from over Jay's shoulder, and at the sight of them, she couldn't stop the huge smile that grew on her faec. It was good to see them. Better than she could have thought.

Nya jumped up to her feet and ran over to hug Danielle tightly. If Danielle didn't know any better, she would have said there were tears brimming her eyes.

Kai and Cole were standing in the back, a mix of shock and relief on their faces as they looked at her. Danielle met their eyes, and it seemed that her grin was contagious, because they returned it to her within seconds.

Nya pulled back from Danielle, and immediately placed her palms on either side of her face.

"Are you hurt?" Nya asked, and she sounded a little breathless. "Did they do anything to you?"

As Nya inspected her for injuries, Danielle let out a laugh.

"No, Mom." Danielle said, trying to joke. "I'm fine. Seriously."

But everybody was looking at her with something more than relief. There was something else there, something that Danielle knew deep down that was always there.

God dammit. They really did love her.

Cole walked over to Danielle just then, and gave her a tight hug, and the resolve within Danielle's heart crumbled instantly as the young boy wrapped his arms around her midsection.

"I'm glad you're back, Dani." Cole said in a small, soft voice, and brought some tears to Danielle's eyes.

How could she do this to him? To any of them?

Danielle gulped down a handful of guilt, and instead threaded her fingers through Cole's black curls lovingly.

"I'm glad, too." Danielle replied, her voice cracking. "I missed you."

Cole pulled away from Danielle, looking up at her with shining eyes, and Danielle's fists clenched.

She had to tell them.

She can't do this. Not to her family.

But before she could even open her mouth, Nya was suddenly yanked backwards, and her neck was wrapped by a black furry arm. Everybody immediately jumped back in shock.

"Oh, what a touching reunion." the Turan said icily, looking around at the group, evil in his eyes. "So sorry to cut it short."

Danielle hid her face in shame, and tried everything to wish herself away from existence. This can't be happening.

Kai made a big step forward, his demeanor totally defensive now. His eyes bored into the Turan's, and he looked almost dangerous.

"How did you find us?" Kai demanded. "We had protection against you. You couldn't have found us."

Danielle blinked away the tears coming to her eyes, and refused to say a word, to look at anyone else.

The Turan's grin twisted terribly, his purple eyes shining and gleaming with joy.

"We have our sources." the Turan said, and Danielle could feel its eyes on her. "You should really be careful with who you trust."

The entire group fell absolutely silent in that moment, and Danielle hugged herself, trying hard not to let out the sobs stuck in her throat.

What if she just disappeared right there?

Everybody was looking at her now, and that was when Danielle decided to just face it all.

The only thing that was laced in her friend's eyes was confusion and amusement.

"Dani?" Jay said, scoffing. "You think Dani's your source? She wouldn't do that."

The Turan's grin grew, as if he knew what was coming. His hold around Nya's throat visibly tightened, making her squirm and claw at his arm.

"Think about it, boy." the Turan said, still grinning. "What else would she have been doing all this time? How else would she have escaped under our noses? It's because we let her."

The amusement from Jay's eyes dimmed until it was completely gone. Now there was just anger.

"No." Jay said. "No. You're wrong."

"Yeah, this...this isn't true." Nya said, but there was a waver in her voice. "Dani, aren't you going to say something?"

Danielle couldn't bring herself to open her mouth. What could she say? There's nothing that could save her. Nothing that could make her take it all back.

There was a tug at the hem of her shirt, and Danielle looked down at Cole, who was peering up at her with his dark eyes, full of desperation.

"Dani." Cole said, and his voice was steady and firm. "Tell. Him. He's. Wrong."

Danielle looked around her, and she could actually see their stomach's drop, their eyes widen in disbelief, their breaths leave their body as they realized what the truth was.

"I'm sorry." was all Danielle could say.

Jay just looked at her for a moment, not saying a single word. His beautiful blue eyes that used to look at her with trust and love was now dimmed almost to nothing. His fists clenched and unclenched, his teeth snapping together within his close-lipped mouth.

When finally Jay spoke, he only uttered the word, "Why?"

It was a broken word, said with a wavering, heartbroken voice. His lip trembled slightly, but his tongue swiped across it to hide it. Danielle pressed her mouth together tightly.

"They gave me a choice." Danielle said, her voice sounding small. "When they captured me. They said to either help them get to you, or they'd kill me."

"You bitch." Nya spat, and Danielle turned to look at her in surprise. "You absolute bitch."

"Hey, I didn't have a choice!" Danielle cried, and her voice finally broke. "I didn't want to die! I couldn't die! Do you really expect me to make that kind of a decision?"

"We didn't think that was going to be what you would choose." Kai said quietly, finally speaking up. His face wasn't sad or angry.

He just looked disappointed.

Danielle gave a deep sigh. "I'm sorry." she said. "I wish I could take it back. I-"

"Just stop...talking." Cole said. "Just stop. We don't want to hear it. Not from you."

Danielle's heart dropped to her stomach at the little boy's words, and lowered her head down, not wanting to meet any of their eyes.

After a moment, the Turan choking Nya cleared his throat. "Well." he said, finally speaking up. "This was very nice to watch. But now we have other matters to attend to."

And at that moment, the army of Turans appeared, emerging from the bushes, their talons bared from their fingertips. Each of them grabbed one of the children, their blades held to their throats.

"I'm sure the Overlord and his daughter will be very pleased to see you all." the Turan holding Nya said, grinning. "Come along now."

But then there was a disturbance in the crowd of Turans, and to Danielle's surprise, another one of the solders walks through.

"I'm here by permission of Misako." the Turan announced, looking proud and important.

His eyes zeroed in on Kai, and with each step that he took toward him, his purple eyes gleamed all the brighter.

Kai looked up at the Turan with hatred, his face red with rage.

"What would my mother need to give you permission to do?" Kai said, seething.

The Turan smirked, and slapped Kai across the face, causing a sudden cry of pain to come from Kai's mouth.

But the Turan didn't stop there. He raised his knee, and stomped hard on Kai's foot, and Kai gave another cry.

"Your mother instructed me not to scratch you." the Turan said, his voice teasing and evil. "But she never said anything about giving you a couple of punches."

Danielle couldn't look anymore.

This was all her fault.

 **SORRY, THIS CHAPTER WAS A BIT RUSHED. I'M WRITING A BIT LATE AT NIGHT, AND MY SUMMER ENDS TOMORROW (EARLY I KNOW. IT SUCKS.)**

 **ANYWAY, GOT TO SLEEP NOW. I'LL WRITE WHEN I CAN. PROMISE.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**

 **~P.S: WISH ME LUCK AT MY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL**


	27. You're Just Toxic

They hadn't been walking across the hot and bright sand for very long before Misako appeared in front of them, a soft smile on her face as they came into view. Standing next to her was a middle-aged man, with wisps of a white beard sticking from his chin. There was something familiar about him, something that should have been definitive, but it was almost impossible to put a finger on it.

As Kai was wracking his brain, wondering where he had seen that man before, Misako was walking up to them, her small smile slowly growing into a grin as she neared them.

Kai turned his head and looked up at her, squinting his eyes against the Sun shining from the sky.

"Kai." Misako said, her voice as smooth as butter. "It's so nice to see you."

Kai couldn't talk. He wouldn't talk.

Not after everything she's done to his home, and to his family.

Misako turned her body halfway, so that she was facing the ocean, and the soft breeze blew in her hair. She turned her head, and looked deeply at each of his friends standing beside him. They were absolutely still in the Turan's restraints, their heads bowed to the sand.

And out of the corner of his eye, Kai saw Danielle standing to the side, watching. A hot bubble of anger rose in his stomach, and Kai turned away from her.

"You and your friends have been able to avoid my soldiers for awhile." Misako said, and smiled at him again.

"That's my son."

The pride in her voice and the name that she called him was enough to make Kai's ears red with hatred.

He was not her son. Never her son.

"Well it seems that you're not one for talking, are you?" Misako asked. "Funny. You and I seemed to be very compatible back on Ninjago."

Kai just glared at her as she clicked her tongue, shaking her head back and forth.

"Kai, Kai." she sighed. "You know I did this only for you. Invading your town and chasing your friends. I just wanted to see you again."

Kai let out a heavy exhale through his nose. "I did too." he whispered, studying her face. "But you ruined it. You ruined everything."

Misako stared at Kai for a long moment and finally bent down in front of him so that she was looking up at him and into his eyes.

"I didn't mean to." said Misako. "But I did what I had to do."

"Why couldn't you have just come in peace?" Kai asked, his voice soft. "Why did you let yourself to go crazy?"

Misako's eyes hardened, and sprung to her feet, standing up as straight as an arrow.

"I'm not crazy." Misako said tightly. "I'm not. I would have expected that you would show my some respect."

"I expected the same thing too." Kai replied, his voice wavering. "And now look at where we are, Misako."

"Mom." Misako's voice cracked as she tried to correct him. "I'm Mom to you, Kai."

Not breaking eye contact from her, Kai shook his head.

"Not today." he said, his voice solid. "Not ever again."

The slap came unexpectedly, and when Kai regained himself, his ratted and muddy shirt was furled in on itself, and

his body was being lifted off the ground by the cloth.

His eyes were level with Misako's angry ones, staring into him with hate bubbling in his irises.

"I'll teach you to show me some respect." Misako said, her talons ripping through the fabric of his shirt. "I'll make sure of it."

"You can't make me do anything." Kai seethed.

But Misako's desperate face gradually morphed into something evil, something that made Kai nervous.

"Oh yes, I can." Misako said, her voice nearly a whisper. "Just watch me."

Misako turned on her heel and walked away from Kai, and down the line of kids next to him. She went in front of Nya, who was shaking with anger, and blowing hot air from her nose.

Misako tilted her head as she gazed at her, and a soft smile came on her lips. Then she made a pointed look at the Turan holding her captive, and he gave a nod, and covered Nya's mouth with his hand.

Nya's screams were muffled as the Turan slowly sliced his talon deep across her face, drawing thick red blood and running grotesquely down her face. Tears fell from her eyes as the blade gradually sailed down to the bone next to her chin.

Immediately, Kai tried to leap up to help her, to stop the screams, but Misako held him down firmly by his shoulders.

"Shh, shh." she whispered, leaning down next to his ear, the smoothness in her voice still unchanging.

Jay and Cole were squirming hard against their captors, their eyes bugging wide, trying to get out of the Turan's hold. The Turan's only smirked, and held them there, smiling as they watched.

Misako then looked up again at the Turan and nodded at him, and the Turan stopped slicing immediately.

Nya stood there breathing heavily, her gasps becoming audible as the Turan took his hand from her mouth. Her eyes were red from crying, and the blood from her face dripped down into the sand, creating a small puddle of discoloration

"So you see," Misako said, her voice airy and light. "I can make you do anything. Because the next scratch that your sister gets, it's going to be much deeper and much longer, and so much more bloodier. Unless, of course, you do as I say, and you show me love."

Kai couldn't keep his eyes off his sister. He watched her for what felt like years, hate for Misako bubbling in his gut.

The female Turan stood up from behind her son, and walked over to face him. She knelt in front of him so that they were eye level, still maintaining that doll-like smile.

"You're a monster." Kai whispered under his raspy breath, and looked up at his biological mother.

Misako gritted her teeth so hard that her furry cheeks looked indented, and furled her hands into fists. The smile was gone.

"That really is no way to talk to your future Queen, Kai." she said in the same soft voice, nearly devoid of emotion. "Especially since you will soon be made Ninjago's Prince."

Kai stared at her. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"I came here for one thing, Kai." said Misako. "And that was to bring you home with me. To Ninjago. Where you can rule next to me and my father. We would make you in charge of the armies, and we'd be a family."

"I would never rule next to you." Kai spat. "And never beside the Overlord. He's responsible for the death of my friend Zane, and your husband. Why would you still want to be next to him?"

Misako's eyes dimmed for a fraction of a second at Kai's words, but upon mentioning her husband, she suddenly beamed.

"You don't know yet, do you?" Misako asked sweetly. "Oh, that's right. You haven't exactly been around, have you? We have some catching up to do."

"What?" Kai asked, genuinely confused.

Misako chuckled lowly.

"Kai, he's alive." Misako said. "He's the man standing behind me."

Kai froze in place, his heart stopping in his chest. He shook his head.

"No." Kai said, his voice choked. "No. My father's dead, Misako. Don't lie to me. Not about this."

Misako grinned widely so that her sharp teeth showed through her dark lips.

"You'd like for it to be a lie, wouldn't you, my son?" Misako mused. "Unfortunately not. I brought him back to life after you left me. I've been working with him. To get to you, Kai. I did it all for you."

Kai didn't know how to react. There was no way to react.

His father, his _biological_ father, was dead. Nya, Jay, and Zane saw him for themselves. Under that peace of wood, with blood all over his face.

He couldn't be alive.

But then Kai couldn't quite believe that it was impossible. Not with everything that Misako proved she was able to do.

Misako stroked a finger over her son's face, her thumb slowly brushing over the scar on his cheek that the fall from the cliff gave him back on Ninjago. It had almost faded away now, because of the healing powers that Kai's Turan heritage gave him. In its place was just a small white line across his face.

"Now." said Misako. "The portal back to Ninjago is ready. My magic won't last forever, Kai. You will be coming with me within the next few hours. We'll be home, Kai, and all of us will be a family."

"Stop saying that." said Kai, his voice now steady and a bit angry. "Just stop it. I'm not your family."

"Yes you are." Misako replied instantly, but now there was something shaking her voice. "That's exactly what you are, Kai. You don't belong here with these _humans._ Your sister isn't even your real sister. Don't you remember? You're _my_ son."

"You're wrong, _Misako."_ Kai seethed. "My parents are Michael and Timbue. They love me. They protect me. You just control me, and you're just _toxic."_

And as if Kai had found some strength in him, he leaned closer into Misako's space, no longer scared nor intimidated, but _angry._

"I will not go with you."

 **SEEMS LIKE A BIT OF A FILLER, I KNOW. MORE WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN IN THIS CHAPTER, BUT IT SEEMED APPROPRIATE TO CUT OFF HERE.**

 **TRYING TO MAKE DO WITH ALL OF MY SCHOOLWORK AND FINISHING UP THIS STORY. I'LL PUBLISH WHEN I CAN.**

 **THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT GUYS!**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	28. Gash

Nya sagged heavily into the Turan's death-grip, and she felt her consciousness slowly seep out of her. Her blood was dropping quickly, falling onto her lips and leaving a metallic taste there.

The Turan holding her, the one with the dead brother, rolled his eyes as he adjusted his tight hold around her neck, his talon hanging dangerously close to her eye.

It was extremely difficult for the creature to resist slicing her up then and there, just so that Kai could get a taste of his own medicine. So that he could watch helplessly as his sister bled out in front of him by the creature that he despised the most.

The Turan inwardly shook his head, blinking away the angry tears that had sprung into his eyes.

Luckily for him, Misako was too busy talking to her son to notice. She'd wring him out to dry for ages if she caught him crying again.

Quickly, the Turan steeled himself, and instead tightened his choke hold on Kai's sister.

She was dying. He could tell by the way her breathing was shallowing out, and how she seemed to be so much heavier on his arm.

How could a being be so weak? Why can't humans be like his brothers and sisters, and simply heal themselves? After all, all that the little girl has to die on account of is a scratch on her cheek.

Is that really all that it takes?

The Turan felt pity for the humans. How useless they must feel.

* * *

Off to the side, Danielle stole a glance at Nya, but immediately turned away upon seeing her eyes closing more and more.

Danielle swallowed hard, a small chill going up her spine.

Nya could die. She could actually die.

And it'd be because of her.

Out of the corner of her eye, Danielle saw Misako suddenly stand up rim-rod straight, her face like wood.

"Take the prisoners into the hatch. Throw them in the cell." Misako said tightly. "My son, too."

Danielle watched as Misako turned her head towards Kai, focusing her eyes on him.

"You will rot in a cell until you learn to respect me as your mother." Misako said, her voice soft. "Perhaps time is all you need to realize where you really belong."

And without another word, she turned on her heel in the middle of the beach, stalking off across the sand. Two Turans seized Kai by his arms and dragged him across the sand, with Kai kicking his feet in a struggle.

Danielle's eyes widened in shock, her head turning between Misako and Kai. Was she seriously willing to put her own son in a prison cell?

As Kai was being pulled away, he kept trying to turn his head to look at his sister, to see if she was alright. But the Turans kept shoving him to turn him around, slapping at him to face forward. He never got a good look.

The rest followed behind Kai, Jay and Cole dragging their legs across the sand. Nya's head was hanging now, unconscious, her blood leaving behind a small trail.

* * *

Danielle was one of the few at the front of the line, walking next to Misako, leading the Turans towards the bunker to take their prisoners. Misako's face was clenched, and her eyes were narrowed. She looked almost pensive, with her eyes faraway like that.

But then Danielle's eye was caught by something sparking off to the far left, and when she looked, she was shocked to see the portal spinning wildly, creating fire-like particles in the air.

It was _the_ Portal. The one that Misako and the other Turans had taken to get to the Dark Island in the first place. It was exactly what had started this whole mess. Danielle gulped.

Cautiously, she turned to Misako as they walked across the sand, and cleared her throat.

"Misako?" Danielle said. "Why is the portal over there? I thought you'd moved it down into the bunker for safe-keeping."

"I did." Misako said. Her voice sounded almost dead. "But while you were distracting your friends, and leading my soldiers to their hiding place, I used my magic to move it. I assumed it'd give my army more room to enter."

Danielle nodded softly. "Misako, are you alright?"

Misako side-eyed Danielle, peering at her through her narrowed eyes.

"My wellbeing is not your concern, Danielle." said Misako, sighing. "I suggest you leave it all alone. Everything will be fine, don't you worry."

Misako glanced at Danielle again.

"You have been most helpful, Danielle." Misako said musingly. "I couldn't have done some of these things without your help. I wouldn't have my son right now if it weren't for you. And I wouldn't be getting my revenge on these pesky kids from Ninjago if you hadn't lured them here."

Danielle gulped again, her throat suddenly feeling tight. She liked praise, but not the kind that would make her actually _want_ to die.

"Thank you." said Misako. "And my thanks is not something to be taken lightly."

"I understand." said Danielle quickly. "Thank you."

Misako didn't respond. She simply looked ahead, and Danielle forced her eyes to look behind her towards Nya.

Nya was still unconscious, being dragged by an angry-looking Turan. Her feet made deep lines in the sand as they dragged behind her.

It looked like she was getting worse.

Danielle was brought out of her thoughts when Wu's voice spoke up from behind Misako.

"What will you do with your son?" Wu was asking, and Misako visibly cringed at the word _your._ "You can't be considering throwing him into a cell."

"I will, Wu." said Misako tightly. "My son will be taught respect."

"Misako, think about what your boy has gone through." said Wu, and again, Misako cringed. "You've invaded his home, and twice threatened his friends. If I were him, it doesn't seem that I would be very happy with you either."

Misako's teeth gritted but didn't say anything.

"And his sister, as well." Wu continued. "She's dying, and by your command. Was that really the best course of action, to harm Nya?"

"I hope you're not going soft, Wu." said Misako through tight teeth. "I hope you haven't developed a sentiment for the girl that you took into your home those years ago on Ninjago."

"That's not it." Wu said defensively. "I worry, Misako, that you're making the wrong choice. You need to let your son go."

And that was when Misako pivoted roughly in the sand, and was suddenly very close to Wu, her hand taking a bundle of his shirt and bringing him closer in a matter of intimidation.

She was breathing heavily, angrily, and staring at him so intensely that even Danielle could feel it.

Wu, on the other hand, seemed perfectly calm with these turn of events and simply stared back at Misako's furious eyes. The rest of the Turans had stopped walking.

"Admit it, Misako." said Wu. "You've lost him. Your son likely despises you, in fact."

"Stop. Talking." Misako muttered.

Wu clamped his mouth shut, and then was just simply staring at her, as if wondering what she was going to do to him.

After long moments of unbridled apprehension, Misako pushed Wu away, unhanding him.

"I've changed my mind." Misako said, staring at Wu intently, but speaking loudly for the Turans to hear. "Kill the others. Give my son to me. I will take him to Ninjago myself."

As Danielle's face was paling, and her heart was jumping from her throat, Misako was walking away towards the portal.

It all seemed to happen within a second.

Danielle immediately pivoted and lunged at a Turan standing behind her. Then in one swift movement, Danielle snapped the talon straight off of the Turan's finger, making him cry out in pain.

Then in a smooth motion, Danielle spun around and stabbed the Turan holding Jay straight through the heart, and left the blade in there so that the wound could not be healed. The Turan gasped as he died, falling straight onto the sand, gagging on rising blood.

Other Turans had begun to take notice and were frantically trying to make their way towards Danielle to stop her.

Misako had spun around at the sound of the screams and her mouth dropped open in shock.

But Danielle couldn't stop. She wouldn't stop.

Instinctively, Danielle brutally broke off another talon straight off of another Turan, and impaled him with it as if she was pounding a nail into a board. Blood matted the creature's black hairs.

Jay, Cole, and Kai were all staring at Danielle in absolute shock, but Danielle paid no heed to them. Instead, she headed straight for Nya, and in a burst of speed, used the talon to slice at Nya's captor's eyeball, sending him stumbling back. The Turan cried in pain as he reeled back, and Nya fell forwards and into the sand.

Danielle stared at the Turan holding Cole, and even she could feel her eyes feel afire with absolute rage. Her blood was bubbling, her chest tightening. This felt almost _good._

Misako was running back towards her, but she wasn't fast enough. Not this time.

Danielle allowed a small grin to come to her face as she sliced at the Turan holding Cole, a deep bloody gash now along his forehead. The Turan gasped, and stumbled back on his feet, falling into the sand.

The army of Turans were running at her, and so was Misako, and Danielle turned to look at Cole, Kai, and Jay.

Jay had, at some point, kneeled down to hold Nya's bleeding face above the sand. Kai was standing defensively against his mother, and Cole was bravely staring down at the army of Turans coming their way.

This fight was going to be interesting.

 **HOLY WOW.**

 **WHO KNEW DANIELLE WAS SO BADASS?**

 **SORRY IF THIS SEEMED LAZY, BUT I WANTED TO PUBLISH AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.**

 **THANKS TO THOSE WHO ARE STILL READING. YOUR SUPPORT MEANS A LOT TO ME.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	29. Hang On

**HI GUYS!**

 **SO RECENTLY, I DISCOVERED A MIXUP. I APPARENTLY SKIPPED AN ENTIRE CHAPTER AND LEFT A HUGE PLOT GAP BETWEEN CHAPTERS 15 AND 16. SINCE I HAD TO ADD A CHAPTER TO CLEAR IT UP, I HAD TO MOVE ALL CHAPTERS DOWN ONE. SO, THIS "NEW" CHAPTER IS NOT YET NEW, BUT JUST APART OF THE FIXUP.**

 **IF YOU'D LIKE, YOU CAN READ THE ACTUAL NEW CHAPTER (CHAPTER 15) THAT I JUST POSTED.**

 **THANKS, GUYS!**

There had been a time, long ago, when Danielle would go to the lake with her parents, and skip stones on the water. Most days were hot on Ninjago growing up, so they were always swimming. Her mother would always say that she didn't feel like a swim, but as soon as her husband would splash her with the water, it was only logical to get in.

When Danielle's parents disappeared, Danielle had just turned fifteen years old. Night was coming, and the last years of Twilight had just begun. People all around her were dying, which was only natural in that time of Day. Pneumonia was very common as the temperature had begun to drop, and her parents had made sure to take extra precautions so that Danielle would not get sick.

Her father had gone out that day to get medicine and vitamins. Hours passed, and then a full day. He didn't come back.

Her mother got very worried, and had tried to get Mayor Dareth involved. But apparently, at the time, a teenage boy had just gone missing in the woods, later to be revealed that he had been trying to retrieve a sapphire ring from the pond.

The boats were about to come around, and everybody was supposed to be packing. And on top of that, Mayor Dareth had just gotten news that day that the tide had turned.

It was easy to notice that Mayor Dareth did not hold it in a very high priority to find her father, who had been gone for some time now.

Danielle's mother was furious. She claimed, as she strapped on her traveling backpack, that if Mayor Dareth won't take it seriously, then she would have to.

Danielle had watched her mother walk out the door.

When her mother didn't come back, Danielle tried hard to believe that she was going to meet them on the boats to the Dark Island. That they'd be a family again.

They weren't on the boats. They weren't anywhere.

Danielle cried out for them during the whole trip to the Dark Island. When they docked the boats, Danielle asked everybody if they had seen them, but everybody didn't seem to know a damn thing.

Then the news came around that a group of kids had been left behind on Ninjago, and after that, nobody paid attention to Danielle or to her cause.

For weeks, that was all that anybody would talk about. Then after a while had passed, nobody wanted to say another word about Ninjago again. Danielle tried to get people's attention, but whenever she'd succeed, they would always tell her that they had most likely succumbed to the sickness of pneumonia while they were out. But something in Danielle's gut told her that that couldn't have been it. Her parents must be alright. They've got to be out there.

And Danielle had wondered that, if her parents were dead, then where were they? Were they gone for good? Were they sleeping, but more permanently?

The more that Danielle thought about it, the more she became uncomfortable and even afraid of the idea. The idea of death. The idea of no longer mattering, just like her parents, whom no one really seemed to care about anymore.

Then there came news that the group of kids that were left behind had miraculously survived the Night, and had somehow arrived on the Dark Island in a beat-up rowboat.

Danielle was there on the beach when they had arrived. They were drenched to the bone, with a weird-looking creature, a girl with the look of sorrow deep in her eyes (Danielle knew the look), a little boy, and an attractive young man around Danielle's age, his fists clenched. It was obvious that they had all been traumatized.

And then that's when the island got the news. Not all of them had survived. A boy named Zane had died on Ninjago, his body buried in the dirt, gone forever.

The entire island mourned the dead boy Zane, and once again Danielle was reminded of her fears of death, and no longer being aware. No longer living. No longer breathing or knowing. It was awful.

And this boy had received it, as well as her parents.

It was the first and final time that Danielle swore that she would not suffer that same fate, that she would do whatever it took to postpone it happening to her.

Whatever it took.

* * *

Two years later, Danielle was standing on that same beach, defensively guarding those same kids on Ninjago from the Turans. In her hands were, quite literally, the blood of her enemies and anger in her eyes.

Her crippling fear of death, the one that had been embedded in her heart for so long because of what happened to her parents, was somehow pushed back. It was not gone, but Danielle was using all of the willpower she had to overlook it. Just for a little while.

All around her, several dead bodies of Turans lay in the sand, looks of shock poised as their last expression.

Misako had made it some distance across the beach, and was still sprinting powerfully towards Danielle, with Wu right next to

"What the hell do you think you're waiting for?" Misako screamed frantically. "KILL HER!"

Danielle's stomach jumped at the words, but she stubbornly ignored it, and used it instead to fuel her energy.

"Jay!" Danielle yelled, turning her head to look at him. "Get Nya into the bunker. Inside Misako's desk are several vials. They're magic. Pick out the blue one, and drop it onto her cut. It should heal her immediately."

Jay didn't have to be told twice, and picked up Nya into his arms and raced across the sand.

Cole tore his eyes away from the running mob of Turans, his hard eyes now changing into an expression of fear upon seeing his brother leave him behind.

"Cole!" Danielle called, and Cole turned to look at her. "We're severely outnumbered here. So I'm going to need you to give this your best shot. This is it."

Cole's strong facade had nearly crumbled away, and his small muscled body was shaking. He was afraid, so terribly afraid, and not sure of what to do.

The army of Turans were brandishing their talons and were nearly upon them. Misako and Wu were even closer, with Misako shouting orders at the top of her lungs.

"Cole, look at me." Danielle said urgently. "There's no way that we can outrun them, but we can outsmart them. Now I know I haven't been the most trustworthy lately, but I need you to trust me now."

Cole looked at Danielle, then at the mob of Turans running at them across the sand.

Danielle stared at the boy intently, and Cole resigned, nodding silently, staring back.

"Okay. Good. Now, I have a plan, and it's not going to be pretty."

* * *

It was of course, only convenient that Misako would have a healing potion stashed into her drawer somewhere.

Jay had set Nya down on a wooden table, her weak body beginning to sag, and was now rushing across the bunker looking for Misako's drawers.

Fear had begun gripping his body tightly, sweat dripping from his brow, as the thought ran through his head that Nya could die. Jay just needed to find the potion.

Jay sprinted down the corridors, and skidded to a stop when he came to a huge door, decorated with nothing but old bolt nails and a dark metallic brown.

He swung it open, using all of his strength that he could possibly muster, and ran inside.

Immediately, he knew that this had to be it.

The room was almost bare except for a musty bed and an old chest at the end of the room. It was obviously locked, and securely held. This was, after all, supposed to be Misako's magic. It could only be protected by something strong.

Jay could hear Nya's whimpering from the room, and he swallowed deeply. He knew it was bad whenever Nya whimpered. She was in pain, and it was up to him to save her.

But then there was a clang outside of the door, and a heavy thud. Then something was scraping across the floor, like a muffled shuffling of feet.

Jay's heart was caught in his throat; he _knew_ he should have locked the door tighter, and now a Turan had gone through.

But for once, it wasn't a Turan. It was Nya, semi-weak and bleeding, staring at Jay with a tired and incredulous look on her face.

"Jay..." she said, her voice airy and breathy. "What is taking you so long?"

Immediately, Jay rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her, meaning to support her.

"Jesus, Nya." Jay bit. "You're supposed to be sitting down."

"I got impatient." said Nya. "I didn't feel like waiting."

Jay breathed a laugh. That sounded exactly like Nya.

His eyes found Nya's again, and he studied her face, and her gash.

"It looks deep." Jay commented softly, his eyes darting over her features. "We have to find that potion soon. I think there might have been something on that talon that-"

Nya's lips were on his, and it got Jay so shocked that he stopped talking altogether, his entire body rigid. Nya's hands were gripping at his dirty shirt, trying to pull him a bit closer to her.

It was everything that Jay could have dreamed of, and his eyes fluttered closed, and he found that it was rather difficult to breathe.

Nya broke away quickly, breathing pretty heavily, looking afraid, but at the same time not at all sorry.

When Jay finally found his voice, he said, "What was that for?"

Nya sighed, and hung her head, as if she had just realized something.

"I know that you and Dani are together...and that that was wrong." said Nya, and her voice was getting softer. "But I was just thinking that I might not make it, and I didn't want to go without not telling you..."

"Stop." said Jay, and his voice was shaking. He lifted his hands to her elbows and drew her close.

Nya stared back at him, and even her eyes were weak, and the blood on her cheek had smeared a bit onto Jay's during the kiss, leaving a wet spot there.

"You..." Jay said, and suddenly found that he was nearly at a loss of words. "You are not going to die. Alright? I won't let you."

"It's not something you'll be able to control." Nya said, tearing her eyes from Jay's. "I can feel it. I can feel...myself slipping away."

"You _can't."_ said Jay, and he sounded desperate. "Please. I can't lose you. Not...not you."

And before Nya could say anything more, Jay leaned down and placed a chaste kiss to her lips, drawing it out for seconds or maybe even minutes. But it was filled with heartbreak, because Jay could feel Nya melting in his arms, and she was weak.

Nya was the one that broke the kiss, and she pulled away, with tears dotting her eyelashes.

And Jay remembered all of the times that he shared with Nya, waiting for all of this to happen, only for it all to be taken away.

Nya was dying in his arms, and there was nothing that he could do about it. The potion was lost. Jay was slowly becoming sure that this wasn't even Misako's room.

"We can't..." Jay whispered, his lips brushing against her hair, swaying on his feet. "We can't give up hope. Please. We have to find it. We're going to heal you. Just hang on. Hang on to me."

 **THAT GOT HEAVY.**

 **SORRY THIS WAS LATE GUYS. SCHOOL AND SOPHOMORE YEAR HAVE BEEN A PAIN.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	30. The Plan

**HI READERS!**

 **I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE.** **I'VE BEEN SPENDING TIME UPDATING THE OTHER CHAPTERS, AND THEY'RE ALL NEW AND IMPROVED NOW, SO YAY!**

 **OKAY. NOW. BACK TO THE STORY!**

Danielle and Cole knelt down in the sand, their arms up in surrender. The Turans had caught up to them, their talons all raised, with their eyes flamed in anger. They were ready to kill.

The bodies of the Turans that Danielle had killed lay barely two feet away, bleeding out into the sand, and a reminder to the Turans why these humans must die.

A soldier sat up in the sand, and realized that his eye was bleeding.

His talon was still stuck in his eye, and immediately, he pulled it out with vehemence, and dropped it into the sand. Somehow, he managed to ignore the burning white-hot sensation, and turned his screams of pain into ones of anger.

He was thinking about his brother; he was thinking about the brutality that had been used to kill him on Ninjago. And his killer was not far away.

He wasn't supposed to show emotion. He knew that. But right now he deserved an exception.

With his face contorted in pain, the wounded Turan sprinted towards the human girl and boy in the middle of the sand. He screamed as he ran, putting in all of his energy in making it across the beach as fast as he could.

But then the human boy and girl hadn't tried to fight. They didn't even move from where they stood. They had knelt down in the sand, and slowly, put their arms up in surrender.

So. That was how they were going to do it.

The Turan skidded to a stop directly in front of them, his remaining talons poised for a brutal attack. He was breathing heavily, with blood and tears flowing from his eyeball.

The army of Turans was there by his side in a second, taking the same stance he was. They didn't seem to care as much as him that the children were surrendering.

"Arcturus." said one of the Turans next to him. "You're next in command. What are your orders?"

Arcturus looked down, and could see his brother, begging for mercy from the boy Kai back on Ninjago.

Even though he hadn't seen him die, he had always hoped his brother would beg for life in the face of death. They promised not to leave each other.

But Arcturus did not move or speak. He wanted to enjoy this. He wanted to have these humans at their knees, begging just like his brother must have done.

The little human boy, the one he had heard the others call Cole, was looking up at Arcturus with tears in his eyes. Arcturus pressed his lips together, forcing back the tears that had still been able to flow.

"We wait." answered Arcturus, his voice thick. He could feel his comrades flinch next to him.

 _"Wait?!"_ the Turan next to him hissed.

"That's what I said." the Turan Arcturus growled. He hadn't taken his eyes off of the boy before him. He knew that he had been there that night.

Meanwhile, the other Turans were muttering to themselves. They were unhappy with his decision. They wanted to kill them right away.

"Arcturus." said another comrade beside him. "We have to end them. They've caused too much discord within our civilization."

Arcturus shook his head. "No killing." he said instantly. "Not yet."

The human boy wouldn't meet his eyes, no matter how hard Arcturus tried. He wanted to see the eyes of the boy who stood by and watched his brother killed.

"You." said Arcturus, and the boy hesitantly looked up. "You were there that night."

When the boy only looked confused, Arcturus said, "That night. Your friend, Kai. He killed my brother. You were there. That was how you got that scar on your ear, yes?"

Arcturus watched as the boy's eyes finally lit up as everything made sense.

"That's why you're doing this." said the human boy softly. "Because Kai tried to protect me."

Arcturus growled.

"My brother," he said, voice shaking dangerously. "did not do anything wrong. He was just doing his job."

"And his job was to kill me." the boy Cole responded. "And Kai, too. He didn't mean to kill your brother. It was an accident. I _swear!"_

The boy's voice was sounding more and more desperate by the second.

But Arcturus couldn't bring himself to care. The anger was too hot within him, the fire in his eyes burning so brightly that he couldn't see straight. He clenched his fists hard, elevating his poised talon above the boy's throat.

He had sworn an oath to Misako to not let emotion cloud his judgement. His comrades had done the same, and had somehow managed to obey it. But why couldn't he?

Pressing his lips together once more, Arcturus firmly said, "Kill them."

But then in the same moment, Danielle turned her head towards Cole and shouted, "NOW!"

It happened before Arcturus knew they had even moved. Immediately, the human boy took his arm from behind his back (it must have somehow moved while Arcturus was talking) and pulled out a blue colored bottle. Arcturus' eyes widened.

Everybody knew that bottle. It was Misako's magic.

Danielle was smirking now, and the boy threw it into the air, where it immediately exploded and its contents rained down on top of the Turans.

With a cry, the Turans were dragged across the sand by the magic, their feet skidding across the beach, and eventually found their backs glued together from head to toe. None of them could move.

Arcturus could feel white-hot anger boiling inside of him as the magic's power magnetized him towards another solider. He tried flailing against the invisible force, but nothing worked. It was, after all, Misako's own magic; it was stronger than anything.

There was a loud thump as the multiple bodies collided, and none of them could even raise a talon at the children. They were trapped.

Arcturus watched with a burning hatred as Danielle walked right up to him, and looked at him in the eyes.

"How did..." Arcturus groaned in effort, seething. "How did you do that?"

Danielle smirked and tilted her head, because she knew everything.

"Easy." she replied to him. "As soon as I got into the bunker, I took an interest in the magic that it took to get you all here. I've been able to sneak around for years. I kind of needed that once my parents were gone, you know. It wasn't hard to slip into Misako's study to get some of her ' _labelled magic._ '"

Then Danielle exaggeratedly sighed, and shrugged her shoulders. She smirked arrogantly.

"And well...all I had to do was get you all here." said Danielle. "Then you can really get out of our way. And we can do whatever we want to you."

Arcturus could practically feel his blood boiling, and he squirmed hard against his invisible constraints. It was no use, but he couldn't help himself.

"Now." said Danielle. "If you'll excuse us. We have other work to attend to."

Danielle turned to walk away with the little boy Cole, but Arcturus couldn't hold back the laugh bubbling in his throat. It was just _so funny_ , and his laugh quickly grew into loud guffaws.

Danielle turned around, her eyebrows now crunched together, with some of her confidence now gone.

"What?" she demanded. "What's so funny?"

Arcturus could barely breathe between his laughing, and when he finally calmed down, he smirked hard at Danielle.

"You...you're going to try to save your friend, aren't you?" Arcturus asked, and Danielle stiffened.

"What...what's it to you?" Danielle asked spitefully.

"You're already too late." Arcturus said, and now the pain in his eyeball was completely gone, because it was slowly healing itself, the wound disappearing in place of regenerated skin. Danielle seemed to be trying hard not look horrified.

"I-I'm not too late." Danielle stuttered. "I know where the magic is. I can still save Nya."

"Nya...is dead." said Arcturus. "I know, because I cut her, and I specialized my talon to do it. You're not the only one who knows magic around here, Danielle."

Danielle's face paled, but it was still steeled, like a dam struggling not to fall apart. The small boy Cole looked even more anxious, and he couldn't seem to be able to hide it.

"You're lying." Cole whispered, and Arcturus was sent off laughing again. He could feel his comrades watching from where they were trapped, but he didn't care.

"Lying to you is the last thing that I would do, little human." Arcturus said lowly.

Cole, shaking now, turned around and sprinted across the sand, towards the bunker several yards away.

Danielle turned around to follow him, and Arcturus watched as she bumped right into Misako and Wu, who had been standing there for some time. Arcturus just hadn't revealed it so.

Immediately, Misako tried to seize Danielle by the arm, but Danielle shook away and stepped back, frantically trying to get away.

"No!" Danielle begged, but Misako only braced a talon to her throat in response. Danielle visibly gulped, quieting down instantly.

"I should slice you..." Misako seethed. "from where you stand."

Danielle leaned away from Misako's talon, and Arcturus suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. There were too many times that he himself had been in her place.

Danielle squeezed her eyes shut, and then opened them again, and inhaled sharply.

"Then why don't you?" Danielle hissed. "Kill me now. You know I deserve it."

Arcturus watched as Misako grinned evilly. Then, to his horror, Misako lifted her eyes to meet his, her gaze full of intent and self pride.

"Because." Misako said smugly. "I'm not going to be the one to kill you."

* * *

Cole kneeled down in the sand over the hatch of the bunker, and he pounded on it desperately. He kept glancing up, hoping against hope that Misako and Wu didn't care about him just yet. Luckily, they seemed too preoccupied with Danielle.

Cole continued to pound on the door, getting more and more anxious by the second. His brother was taking too long to answer the door.

"Jay!" Cole cried, the distress thick in his voice. "Please! It's me! Open the door!"

A long minute passed before the hatch was unlocked from the inside, and Cole threw it open. He climbed in, and jumped down the ladder, not bothering to put his foot on any of the rungs. His feet crashed into the floor with a loud clang.

"Jay." Cole said immediately, not facing him. "Please, please tell me that Nya is okay. The Turan that sliced her said-"

But then Cole turned around, and his breath caught in his throat.

Jay was standing in the middle of the room, his shoulders slumped over. He was alone, and his eyes didn't seem to be present. His hands were balling into fists, clenching and unclenching repeatedly. Something wasn't right.

Cole walked slowly to his big brother, and seized him by the arms. He tried to catch Jay's gaze, but it was too empty. It was like Jay was looking at something that Cole couldn't see, staring off into space.

"Jay..." Cole said, trying to snap him out of it. "Jay, please, where is Nya?"

Immediately, Jay broke apart.

He keeled over onto the metal floor, his knees hitting it hard, and he buried his face in his hands. His entire body folded into a fetal position, and began to sob.

Jay's cries were loud, and filled with something heartbreaking, and it echoed in Cole's ears over his heartbeats like drums.

Immediately, Cole stood up on shaky legs and ran out of the room, searching wildly for Nya. She had to be okay. After everything that they had been through, she had to be okay.

Cole didn't realize that he was sobbing until his hiccups filled the empty corridor as he ran some more.

He came to a brown door, which was opened slightly, and he stopped dead in his tracks.

There was a body laying on the floor, the feet of the person peeking into his view.

Blood rushed into Cole's ears. He stumbled back, and caught himself on the doorframe. His breathing became ragged, and his throat tightened like he was being choked.

Cole stepped through the doorway, his knees threatening to give out. He walked over to the body laying cold, stretched out like a huge soft leaf.

Cole knew it for sure. That was not Nya. It wasn't.

But the body on the floor had the same colored hair.

The same birthmark.

The same eyes.

The same clothes that Nya had been wearing.

And the same long gash on her cheek, reaching to her chin. A small pool of blood leaked onto the metal floor, and Cole knew that it wasn't Nya.

But it had to be.

Because why...

WHY ELSE

WOULD THE BODY LOOK LIKE HER?

Cole let out a loud scream, and it was the loudest noise that he had ever made. His small arms reached out and took the body into his arms, because he KNEW that it was her.

He frantically brushed Nya's dark hair away from her stilled face, from the blood on her cheek. He had to look at her face.

He had to see her face.

"Nya, oh god, please, wake up..." Cole cried. "Not you too, Nya. God, not you too. Not after Zane, not after everything. I've known you for years. I've known you since I was a kid, Nya, please, wake up, oh god...What will Dani say? What will Kai say?"

Oh god.

Please get up.

 **SORRY FOR THE ANGSTY CHAPTER.** **BUT ALAS, IT HAD TO BE DONE.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	31. Coming

"She died in my arms." Jay said, his voice sounding very choked. "She...was here. With me. And then she wasn't."

Cole reached out, and took Kai's wrist in his hand, who was sitting there slumped down next to them. He hadn't said anything since he entered the bunker a few minutes ago, at first overjoyed at having held back Misako and Wu for so long on the beach. That all had gone away as soon as Kai saw the body of his sister on the ground, and had collapsed to his knees in shock.

Neither Cole nor Kai haven't budged from where they were still kneeling. Cole couldn't stop looking at Nya's body. He wanted to turn away, but he was afraid that if he stopped looking at her, then she'd really be gone. Kai, on the other hand, had turned away after a minute, his eyes somehow able to stay dry from tears.

"Did she..." Kai said soberly, swallowing hard. "Did she say anything?"

"She kissed me."

Kai looked up at Jay in shock, but Jay wouldn't meet his eyes. He let out a shaking sigh, his fingers intertwining with his own hand.

"She knew." Jay muttered. "She knew she was going to go. I told her to hold on to me."

Jay cleared his throat softly, the welling-up tears impairing his speech. He sniffled, but softly, as if convinced that Kai and Cole couldn't hear him.

"There was...nothing I could have done." Jay said softly, as if trying to convince himself. "It wasn't my fault. Right?"

Cole wouldn't say anything. He couldn't respond. How could he, when he was too busy trying not to see Zane's body in front of him, covered in blood, with a knife stuck in his stomach?

"The potion wasn't here." Jay choked out. "I wouldn't have ever found it in time. Not even if I was given two more minutes. I still wouldn't have found it. Even if I was the fastest human on earth. I still wouldn't have been able to save her."

Kai's body seemed to shut down at Jay's words. His sister couldn't have been saved.

Why did they lose everyone?

Why did everything happen to them?

Kai's eyes finally went back onto Nya's face, deathly pale, her mouth hanging open slightly. It was impossible to believe that this body was now just an empty vessel, devoid of a soul and devoid of life. Nya's life.

She was too young.

Cole could feel like screaming again. He wanted to throw something. He wanted to _do_ something. He felt like he was empty, just like the body in front of him.

"What are we going to do?" Cole asked flatly. "How...how are we going to live through this? What's the point, Jay?"

Jay gave a sigh, and it was the worst sound in the world at the moment.

"I think..." Jay started, his speech halting. "I think the point is that we have to find a way to...move forward."

"...No."

Immediately, Jay and Cole looked up at Kai, who had uttered the word. Kai's eyes were now bloodshot, and his whole body was shaking with pent-up emotion.

"No." Kai repeated. "That's not what we're going to do."

Cole and Jay watched Kai curiously, wondering what he could possibly mean.

"I can't..." said Kai. "I can't move on from her. From my sister. From anything. Not from _any of this crap."_

"Kai..." Cole started, but Kai whirled his head around towards him, and now his eyes were frighteningly intense, as if the fires of hell themselves were inside his irises.

And Kai yelled, "I CAN'T LOSE ANYONE AGAIN!" with his voice bouncing off of the metal walls of the bunker like a lethal bullet.

The ringing stopped after a second, and Kai breathed hard, bowing his chin to his chest.

A ring of fear had gone around Jay and Cole's faces at the witnessing of Kai's outburst, and they stepped back for a small second.

Cole cleared his throat.

"Kai..." said Cole softly. "What do you want to do?"

Kai looked up and met the little boy's eyes, and his panting mouth closed.

"The Turans..." he said. "And Misako...they're coming soon."

* * *

Arcturus had been ordered to bring Danielle, and was following closely behind Misako and Wu. The remaining army of Turans stepped over their dead comrades still laying in the sand and followed them. Wu turned his head to look at the bodies with a face of regret.

The Overlord, who had been at the back of the army the whole time, now moved to the front and smacked Wu in the head to turn him around.

Wu watched with annoyance as the Overlord stalked passed him, and as he approached his daughter at the front.

"What do you think your plan is, daughter?" the Overlord seethed down at her as he walked. "Have one of your soldiers execute this girl? And for what, because she culled a few of your unimportant soldiers?"

"Because she's a nuisance and she deserves to die." Misako said coldly. "End of story, father."

Misako surged ahead, but the Overlord only started after her.

"Misako." said the Overlord sternly. "You can not control this army. You can not even control this one girl, and just killed off a group of your own army. You are not fit to do anything, Misako, and you never were."

Misako just ignored her father, and walked ahead until she reached the bunker hatch. To her surprise, the hatch was already halfway open.

Someone had just broke in, and they had made it inside.

Quickly, Misako threw open the hatch door to its full width, and leaped down the hole and into the bunker.

The entire area seemed absolutely empty, just like the army had previously left it. But Misako's senses never failed her.

As soon as Misako had jumped into the hatch, the others followed suit. Wu came next as well as the Overlord, and then Arcturus was ordered to climb down as well with the prisoner Danielle.

Misako's eyes drifted over to the said prisoner, whose arm was firmly clasped in Arcturus' grip. Danielle squirmed, and looked around the room wildly. Just like Misako, she was wondering where her friends were.

"Kai?" Misako called confidently throughout the seemingly empty room. "I know you're in here. Your friend's scent is reeking off of these walls. It seems that plant has rubbed away, hasn't it?"

Misako's eyes swept over the entrance of the hallway, and her eye caught a figure walking slowly from behind the wall.

It was none other than her son, staring her down with his wide brown eyes, narrowed and squinted. Misako could only grimace at the sight of him.

Kai, however, smirked. "Not happy to see me, Mom?" he said sarcastically.

Misako's tight smile grew. "You fought with me on the beach, with the intent to harm me, and keep me from your friends." she said evenly. "And additionally, you turned one of my best soldiers against me."

"Danielle?" Kai scoffed, and his heated eyes drifted over to Danielle standing in the corner trapped by Arcturus. "I didn't do that. I can't make Danielle do anything. I should know."

"Is that so?" Misako said, then shook her head slightly back and forth. "What do you want, Kai?"

Kai stood up straighter, and slowly, two others came out from behind the wall. His friends, the tall boy and the little one. Misako smirked at the sight of the girl not coming out as well.

"Oh, what's wrong?" Misako said sweetly. "Is your sister preoccupied?"

"My sister is dead." said Kai, his voice unusually tight and choked. "And you're going to do something about that."

Every head in the room turned to Misako, each of them with their interests piqued.

Misako didn't pay her soldiers any heed. She simply looked at her son with a soft and fake smile, her head tilted like she was looking at the face of a toddler.

"And what do you expect me to do?" asked Misako.

Kai balled his fists. "You have magic." he said in a low tone. "You brought back my father. You told me so on the beach. You can bring back my sister, too."

"And why would I ever do that?" Misako asked with a smile.

Kai inhaled deeply after several moments of silence, and looked at Misako straight in the eyes.

"Because," said Kai. "I'm will go back to Ninjago with you as an exchange."

 **OH MY GOD I'M SO SORRY ABOUT THE LATE UPDATE.**

 **WELL ANYWAYS THANKS TO THOSE WHO ARE STILL READING.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**

Misako looked back and forth between Wu and her father, and both of them looked equally


	32. Dust

Everybody in the room seemed totally stunned by Kai's proposal, and nobody had moved a muscle.

Jay and Cole were looking at Kai, their faces torn in a mix of disbelief and betrayal, while Misako was simply staring at her son in absolute shock. Even Wu and the Overlord had their eyebrows raised in surprise. Meanwhile, Danielle and Arcturus had chosen to stand by in the corner, away from it all.

However, Kai looked totally serious and stoic, and was looking at Misako like how a businessman would look at his client. His hands were crossed over each other calmly, expectantly. Waiting for an answer.

It seemed to take a long moment before Misako could speak up again.

"You want me to bring back your sister, yes?" Misako said quietly, and Kai nodded curtly.

"If you do that, then I'll come back with you." Kai repeated, as if making sure that Misako had heard him. "And I'll do whatever you want. I'll rule Ninjago next to you. I'll be your family. But you have to bring back my sister."

Misako seemed to stand rooted in her spot for long silent moments before she looked up at her son.

"You'd really come back with me?" Misako said softly.

"Yes." Kai repeated, certain yet resigned. "Now, what's your answer?"

But then before Misako could make a reply, the Overlord took a huge step forward into Kai's space and stared him down.

"The answer is no." said the Overlord lowly. "You will not be coming back to Ninjago, and neither will my daughter."

"What?" Wu said in disbelief, and Misako turned towards her father as well, her eyes on fire.

"What are you talking about?" Misako said, taking an angry step towards the Overlord.

The Overlord turned away from Kai and looked at his daughter, a small smirk playing at his lips. It made Misako's breath catch; she knew her well enough to know that was the face he had when he was about to make a dangerous play.

"You are not fit to run an army, Misako." said the Overlord. "It was evident back there on the beach. Now..."

Misako's eyes followed her father as he slowly began to walk around the room, circling closer and closer to her like a vulture.

"...if you can't run an army," the Overlord continued. "how can I expect you to run a tribe? I left you for two years, and look how much you have fallen into decline! You took hundreds of Turans on a trip across the ocean on a simple errand! And what's more, you couldn't even successfully kill off these stupid humans or take over their town!"

"That wasn't my goal, _father._ " Misako spat. "I was just trying to get my son back."

"You've become too soft, Misako." said the Overlord, his smile gone now. "There was a time when perhaps you would have been worthy of this tribe, but not any longer. I'm afraid that I am done with you."

Misako froze up, her fists balling in her hands. The rest of the room had become entirely silent, and tense.

"You're _done_ with me?" Misako breathed in disbelief. "I'm your _daughter!"_

"That means NOTHING to me!" the Overlord yelled suddenly, and immediately, Misako punched him clear across the face.

The entire room did a double take in the first second, and in the next, they were all diving for cover.

The Overlord staggered back, clutching his face after the surprise attack from Misako, and he raised his eyes to look at her. Misako was panting hard at the adrenaline coursing through her, and she seethed over her father.

"You will not take my son away." said Misako. "Not like you did with my mother."

"Watch me, _wench."_ said the Overlord, and he bared his talons.

He charged at her, and stabbed her in the face, and Misako gave out a startled and pained cry. Jay covered Cole's eyes frantically, turning his head away. Kai grimaced and ducked his head.

The talon had gone through her cheek, and Misako pushed her father away, and the talon went with him. The blood was already matting her fur, and the Overlord was throwing another punch.

He hit her in the gut, knocking the air from her, and sent a right hook into her jaw.

But then Misako snapped her head forward, and headbutted the Overlord right in the forehead, and that was enough to send him to the ground.

Misako immediately got on top of him and angrily punched him everywhere she could find. Ruthlessly, she elbowed him the ribs and snapped his head back and forth with her fists. She didn't show any signs of relenting, or of letting up.

The Overlord wouldn't, and couldn't give up that easily.

With unbelievable and inhuman strength, the Overlord pushed her off and she clattered to the floor, her body sprawling out.

The Overlord jumped at her, preparing to end it all, with his talon pointed straight down towards her chest. His mouth was pulled wide in a terrible excited expression.

But then Misako gave a loud yell, and raised her talon at the same time as her father.

It had happened so fast. Nobody could tell who had won for a good, long second.

Immediately, the entire room fell quiet, with just the heavy pants of the Overlord and Misako filling the silent and tense atmosphere.

Then the Overlord stood, his knees wobbling slightly. Misako was on the ground, her breaths growing quieter.

Then the Overlord fell over, his body crumbling to the floor, and he was dead. Misako's talon was stuck in the center of his stomach, left there and preventing his healing.

Misako, meanwhile, stood as well, and wiped the blood from her face. She threw the Overlord's talon on top of his still body, having ripped it off before it had impaled her.

Everybody looked at her. Danielle was shaking in the corner, and Arcturus' hands had gone to her shoulders in an ironic act of inexplicable kindness. Arcturus couldn't seem to stop staring at the Overlord's body.

Then Misako spoke.

"You...you are coming back with me, Kai." she said, her voice completely even and authoritative. "I've made sure of that now."

Kai's breaths were shallow, and he was staring at Misako with wide and fearful eyes.

Then Misako turned halfway towards Arcturus, her eyes narrowing on him.

"And you, soldier." said Misako in a harsh tone. "You are to kill that girl. Their friends, too."

Jay and Cole looked between each other, and even Arcturus could practically see their stomachs falling to the floor. He turned back to Misako, and began to feel his emotions overwhelming him. His forbidden emotions.

Meanwhile, Kai was taking a step towards her, desperate and angered.

"NO!" Kai cried, confronting. "You said! You said you would bring back Nya!"

"I said no such thing." said Misako. "Didn't you see what I did just now, son? I have the power. I hold the power of everything. And you're going to come back with me now, and we can have that power together. As a family. And if you don't come willingly, then I'll simply have my soldiers take care of it for me."

"You need to bring back my sister!" Kai said, and he sounded close to tears. "Please, I can't leave without knowing that she's alright!"

"I'm not hearing any more of this." Misako said.

But then Kai grabbed her by the arm forcefully, and immediately, Misako slapped him so hard that it could be echoed around the bunker.

Kai didn't seem phased, though, and regained himself almost immediately.

"I will not go with you." said Kai.

Misako's face hardened even more than it had been. She seized her son by the arm, and dragged him clear across the bunker. Kai tried hard to get free from her hold, but Misako wouldn't let go.

She reached behind her, and her wand appeared in her hand, materializing in the air. She waved it, performing a pattern in the empty space above her head.

There was a rumbling, low and loud, and Jay immediately covered Cole's ears with his hands.

Then suddenly the portal appeared where they were standing, right in front of them, spinning wildly and sending sparks flying all around the room.

Kai's face paled. A picture of a forest was lying within the magical portal, and it was the image of Ninjago, right there in front of him. He was able to smell everything, and could sense everything in Ninjago. It had all came rushing to him like a tidal wave, and he gulped.

Misako leaned down next to him, her breath on her son's ear.

"This is your kingdom now," said Misako. "Whether you like it or not."

Kai couldn't speak, and Jay and Cole were staring at the picture too. It seemed they were as affected as Kai was.

Arcturus stepped forward, and Danielle looked at the Turan questioningly. But Arcturus turned back to face her, and raised a finger to his lips.

Danielle watched as Arcturus walked forward, past Jay and Cole, and right up behind Misako.

And his talon was sharpened, gleaming with leftover poison, and his heart pounding with raw adrenaline as he raised it above his head and stabbed Misako through the heart.

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	33. Not Her Time

Arcturus had lost all sense when he stabbed Misako, but the next thing that he knew was that Kai was staring up at him in complete and utter shock, and everyone in the room had risen from their hiding places, staring at him silently.

His heart was still pounding, and his mind was racing faster than it ever had. All of his emotions, the ones that were simply not allowed in a soldier, were flooding back like a broken dam.

Danielle was behind him now, the person that was supposed to be his prisoner, and was standing over Misako's stiff body.

Misako was still alive, but her mouth was bleeding, and her eyes were closing more and more. She looked up at Arcturus, the anger on her face the strength of a forest fire.

"You...stupid...idiot." Misako seethed, and coughed up more blood. "What have you done?"

Arcturus found his words at the sound of the insult. His face hardened, even though he was nearly crumbling inside.

"I think that for once," said Arcturus. "I've finally done something rather smart. And now I'm finally above you, aren't I? You can't hurt anyone anymore."

Misako gasped for air, and Arcturus could tell that she was running out of time. Good.

Kai stood over his mother, the mother that he had once loved. The mother who had killed more than half of his town, and was responsible for the death of his sister.

Arcturus was trembling now, and he almost had no idea that he was.

"You are a terrible ruler, Misako." said Arcturus. "And I won't have my tribe rule under you anymore. I won't have you abuse us, or hurt us, or put us in danger."

Then Arcturus, with wobbling legs, kneeled over her and whispered in her ear.

"I'm the ruler now." said Arcturus. "And we are going to live in peace. Without you."

Arcturus rose to stand, but before he could, Misako seized him by the wrist and pulled him down towards her again.

Misako looked at him in the eyes, her teeth gritted in anger. "You're going to regret this." she said.

Arcturus found himself smiling slightly at Misako's words, and all the fear from him was now gone. He was now more certain that anything that she was wrong.

"No." he said. "I really won't."

Misako seemed to want to say something else, but before she could, her head went slack, and dropped onto the bunker floor. She was dead.

Her hand around Arcturus' wrist was now slack, and he pulled away slowly, his eyes not leaving Misako's dead body.

Then he looked up, gathering the courage to raise his eyes to look around him.

It was silent in the room for what felt like an hour.

Then Danielle broke the silence.

"Let me be the first to say," she said. "I'm sorry for ever getting on your bad side.

And suddenly, for no reason at all, Arcturus was dissolving heavily into giggles. The entire thing was the last thing he should laugh about, but here they were, giggling around two dead bodies and feeling more relieved than they had in years.

Once they had sobered, Kai asked, "What are you going to do now?"

Arcturus gave a shrug. "Well..." he said. "My tribe can't survive without a ruler. They'll die out, and I don't want that to happen."

"So you'll take them back to Ninjago?" Jay asked.

Arcturus smiled. "I guess I will." he said. "It'll never be the same, I suppose. But it will be better. I'll make sure of it."

Jay huffed a laugh. "That's a lot of things that will change."

Arcturus gave a soft smile.

"Is there any other way?"

* * *

Arcturus had immediately dragged the Overlord's and Misako's bodies from the floor, and gave them a proper burial out on the beach. Everybody had helped, because even though they had been absolutely terrible, they still deserved better.

Kai looked down at his mother, lying there in the hole they had all dug, and felt a wetness on his cheeks. He put a hand to his face, and pulled it away, and realized he was crying. He hadn't even known that the tears were streaming down his cheeks, and he choked on his suppressed emotions.

Hours passed, and the five of them were all in the bunker, sitting apart from one another.

There was a tap on Kai's slumped shoulders, and Kai raised his bowed head to meet Arcturus' eyes.

Arcturus was holding a vial in his hand, and a proud look on his face.

"Here it is." said Arcturus. "It's the potion."

Immediately, Kai reached for it, but Arcturus yanked it away.

"I'm sorry." said Arcturus, and it sounded sincere. "Only Turans can handle this type of magic. It's more powerful than anything, and it can not touch human's hands."

"What?" Kai said, nearly outraged. "Then who will-"

"I'll bring back your sister." said Arcturus, and Kai was so shocked that he stopped talking.

Then Kai tilted his head up in disbelief, looking at Arcturus in the eye as if trying to study him.

"You'd really do that?" Kai breathed. "Why?"

Arcturus gave a sigh, deep and sorrowful. He sat down next to Kai, looking down at his fingers.

"I knew you when you were on Ninjago." Arcturus said softly. "You killed my brother."

There was a long second of silence that followed as Kai tried hard to think about when he could have possibly done such a thing.

And then it clicked.

It was when Kai had first discovered his Turan transformation, and his emotions had gotten out of control. He could still remember accidentally gashing Cole's ear with his talon, and the raw fear coursing through him as he wondered what he actually was.

"That...that was your brother." Kai said breathlessly. "I'm so sorry."

Arcturus blinked down at his hands, where the vial still lay.

"It was his time." said Arcturus. "Us Turans can sense these things. But it still was the worst pain I'd ever experience."

Arcturus' mouth quirked up a little, and he huffed a small chuckle.

"I was so consumed by revenge. By...petty emotions." he said. "But nothing was worse than losing my brother. And I couldn't wish that on anyone. Not even my worst enemy."

Then Arcturus looked up at Kai, meeting his sharp eyes.

"It's not your sister's time to die." said Arcturus.

At that, he stood up, and Kai watched his retreating back as the Turan left the room, and closed the door behind him.

* * *

It seemed like years as they all waited for Arcturus to come back, sitting in their seats, shifting their bodies on the uncomfortable surface. Each one of them heavily doubted if the potion would work, thinking of the worst. What if it made things worse?

What if Nya was gone forever?

Jay had, at one point, gotten tired of sitting down and began pacing the room frantically.

Danielle watched her boyfriend, and she could tell by everything that happened that their relationship was ultimately through. She knew that he loved Nya, and she had always known it. She had tried to deny it, and that was what she had tried to do with Brian. She wanted a distraction, something to take her mind off of it so she didn't have to confront it.

And Danielle knew that they had kissed. She could sense it in her gut, and frankly, she wasn't surprised.

It, after all, had to end sometime.

Meanwhile, Kai's stomach was in knots, and he prayed to anything that he would have his sister back. Images of Zane kept returning to him making him shake inwardly and feel sick.

He can't lose Nya, too.

Cole looked up at Jay, who was still pacing the room at an alarming rate. It almost looked like he was running.

"Jay, stop pacing, please." said Cole. "Your worry makes us worry, alright?"

Jay turned round at his brother, and it looked like he was going to tell the younger boy off.

But as soon as Jay saw the anxious expression on his little brother's face, he immediately stopped in his tracks.

Jay swallowed hard, his nerves chattering against themselves, because _he just can't wait._ He can't calm down. He _needs_ Nya, and always has. How could he be calm?

He lost her once, when she wouldn't talk to him all those years. How could he have the strength to lose her now, when he could barely handle not speaking to her?

That moment by the river in the forest had been everything to him, a revelation, a relief. Because not all had been lost. His comfort relationship with Danielle, which he had always known deep down had been a sham, didn't have to exist. He could be with Nya, and Nya could be with him.

But now all they had to do was save her.

Jay sighed heavily, and sat down next to his brother, trying hard to keep from fidgeting.

"Okay. I'm sorry..." said Jay, laying a hand softly on Cole's back.

After a moment, the young boy leaned against the side of Jay's lean form, snuggling his head against Jay's shirt. And it wasn't until Jay's clothes felt damp that he realized Cole was crying.

* * *

The ring around the portal gave off a bright white and yellow light, and it illuminated the bunker's main room.

Nya stood next to Jay, leaning on him for support, but otherwise alright. She smiled back at Arcturus, their eyes meeting with respect through the army of Turans walking through the portal.

Ever since Nya had come out of the room, _alive,_ Kai had not taken his hand off from her shoulder, and Cole had clutched to the hem of her shirt like it was somehow precious.

Arcturus made his way through the army, _his_ army now, and met up with the teenagers at the other end of the room. Kai shook his hand.

"We can't thank you enough, Arcturus." Kai said sincerely. "Really. Thanks for saving my sister."

Arcturus smiled, and it felt good hearing somebody thanking him.

"You're more than welcome." said Arcturus. "And now, I've got my own army to control, and an island to get back to."

"What about us?" said Nya.

"Don't worry." said Arcturus. "I have a group of my army going around your town and cleaning up. With my orders and their speed, they should be done by now."

Then Arcturus' face lit up a bit, and turned around for a second. When he faced them again, he was holding a small box, filled with vials of the same color.

"This," said Arcturus. "is for your town, and any casualties that my Turans might have caused."

Everybody's mouths dropped open, and they each grabbed a vial of magic. The Life-giving magic.

"This is..." Cole breathed. "...unbelievable. You'd really do that for us?"

Arcturus waved his hand dismissively.

"All I had to do was duplicate the magic." said Arcturus. "And...I really wanted to make up for everything that I did. I was...blind."

Danielle stepped forward and placed a hand on Arcturus, smiling up at him.

"Thank you." said Danielle. "Your brother would be proud of you."

Arcturus smiled again, and let out a chuckle.

"Oh, I don't know." he said lightheartedly. "Knowing him, he'd probably punch me in the gut for getting soft."

Everyone breathed a laugh as well, and Arcturus' smile eased.

"But I needed to do this." said Arcturus. "I needed to think about what was best for my family, and my army. Just like what you did for each other."

Then before Arcturus could say anything more, the hatch to the bunker opened, and a large group of Turans entered. Instead of the bloodthirsty look in their eyes that they would usually have, it was replaced by something easier, and more relaxed.

Saluting at Arcturus, the Turans said, "All of the homes have been repaired, Master. We are now prepared to enter the portal."

"Very good." said Arcturus, nodding at them. The Turans left.

Once they were away, and the bunker was empty except for the six of them, Arcturus turned to them.

"Once we get to the other side, I'm going to bury Misako's magic deep underground." he said. "And no one will be able to touch it for a long time."

"That's a good idea." said Nya appreciatively. "Thank you, again, Arcturus."

Arcturus nodded, and put one foot through the portal, then turned back to them again.

"I'll see you all in thirteen years." he said with a smile.

And then he was gone, and the bunker was empty once more.

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-KTH1**


	34. The Final Meaning

The homes had indeed been repaired, but the entire town was in complete shambles. The bus that had previously been carrying the opposing team back to the other side of the island was flipped over, and dying fires were still simmering.

People were seen everywhere, clutching desperately to their loved ones. But it had also seemed that the Turans had helped with building makeshift hospitals as well. There were people resting peacefully in cots, and people trying to care for them.

Once Jay had come up carrying the magical vials, it seemed that everyone knew that they were saved. Within minutes, the vials were all used up, and everyone in town was slowly getting up in a daze.

As everything was happening, Nya stood off to the side, holding one of the vials close to her. Her mind was deep in thought, and she stared at the magic like it would hold answers on the glass.

Jay came up behind her, having just finished healing a woman, and looked at the vial with her from over her shoulder.

Then Jay quietly said, "Are you thinking about bringing back Zane?"  
At the words being said aloud, Nya took a sharp intake of breath, but did not deny it.

"It's all I've been thinking about." said Nya. "It's possible, you know? It can heal anyone, bring back anyone..."

Jay didn't say anything, waiting for her to continue. Nya turned around to face him, her face crumpled.

"I just..." Nya said, sighing. "I don't know. I can't pass up this chance when I know that I can save him. I can't make that mistake again. I have no idea what to do."

Nya suddenly felt tears coming down her face, and Jay pulled her close to him, laying a hand on the back of her head to comfort her.

Nya immediately dried her tears, and breathed a shaky sigh, appreciative of the gesture.  
Jay breathed out through his nose in his own sigh, and leaned his head down to speak into Nya's ear.

"I miss him too." Jay said. "Even with our differences. You know me, Nya. I would never leave someone else for dead."

Nya stayed silent for several moments, knowing that Jay wasn't finished speaking.

"But Zane...he's at peace right now." said Jay, choking on his words. "As much as it hurts to ask, do you believe that he would want to be back? Would he really be happy?"

Nya stopped for a moment to ponder everything.

Zane never had the willpower to stick around for very long. It was like something had always been wrong. It had only been enough to tip him over the edge when they had all endured Ninjago. And when she thought about it, it would be difficult for him to come back, and his girlfriend was with another guy. It would be worse for him.

Zane was at peace now. It hadn't been Nya's time to die, and it hadn't been the townspeople's time, either. But it had been his. Nya knew this, had always known this.

He was happy, now, wherever he is. And it was time to begin something new with each other, by moving on.

Nya backed away from Jay's shoulder, and Jay knew the decision that Nya had come to. He could see it on her face, sagged over in defeat and yet acceptance.

"I'm sorry, Nya." said Jay, and Nya cast her eyes down. "I wish it wasn't like this." Nya kept staring at the ground, her arms tight as they hung down her sides.

And then Jay brought her chin up with his fingers and leaned his head down, connecting their lips together in a comforting kiss.

Nya sagged into his arms, which were wrapped tightly around her in a warm embrace, and kissed back fervently. She hadn't realized until the first time that she had kissed him how much she had wanted this to happen. How much she had needed this to happen.

She wasn't just seeking comfort, or something to live for. All that she had been seeking was him.

Nya swung her arms around his neck, and made the startling discovery that she didn't want to let him go. Because finally they had found each other, and they were going to do it all together, no matter the difficulties.

Jay seemed to be extremely receiving of Nya's advances, and took long seconds before finally breaking away. Nya could feel Jay's breath on her mouth, and she watched as Jay's mouth turned up in a bright smile. Everything was going to be alright.

* * *

After everything was done, and everyone had been properly healed, Nya walked with the others down the crowded street. And even though it was noisy all around them, it was completely silent for all of them.

Wu had been there all along, helping with everybody and using his extensive knowledge of magic to heal the townspeople. It felt good for Wu, knowing that he was finally using his mind to make a town instead of destroying it.

There was an empty space inside of him though, which had formed ever since Misako had died. She had, he supposed, been an extremely important person in his life and one whom no one could replace.

He still remembered all of the memories that the other, dead Wu had passed on to him upon reawakening. He had been glad that Nya had not received this kind of aftermath when she was brought back. Luckily for her, she had not been dead as long as Wu had been, and so she was simply fine.

But Wu could still remember everything that he had experienced with Misako himself. Bringing the now dead droid Lloyd to life in the abandoned house on Ninjago. Speaking with her like a normal person on the rusty table inside the cabin. Feeling the texture of her figure surrounding him as she had kissed him for the first and last time.

But Wu knew that it had been her time. He was not glad that she was gone or dead. He wasn't. But he knew that everyone had to go at sometime, and he knew that it must all add up to something.

It must.

Wu's eyes fell on his son, who walked ahead of him with the little boy Cole on his arm. They were talking smoothly to each other about something, and it didn't take a genius to tell that this didn't happen often. Especially not with everything that had occurred over time.

Kai glanced back, and his eyes met Wu's. For a second, his smile dimmed, and he turned back around. Wu watched as his son lifted Cole up onto his shoulders, and felt a soft pang in his heart.

How would he ever fix it with his son?

* * *

They had all taken a route through the forest. None of them have said a word.

Nya couldn't help but look overhead at the bottoms of the trees, and remember back to when she would make this walk alone. Had it really only been that long ago that everything was so wrong?

Nya looked ahead, and with each step, her heart made another thundering beat. She was waiting to see it, to find the spot that she had made the journey to so many times in these very woods.

Then that's when Nya saw it.  
The trees parted into a small clearing, with its reeds brown and rotted, with a spoiled lake pushed into a

corner behind trees and plants. It wasn't the best place to visit. But there was something there that would stand out from all of it.

Nya pushed aside the plants and waded through the sea of tall grass until her eyes met with what she was walking toward.

A large sized stone, worn and cracked from age and weather, was planted in the ground as if it was one of the plants. Nya and the others walked right up to it, and the words upon the stone made each of their hearts melt a little more.

The words IN MEMORY OF ZANE JULIEN stood out as the only words on the stone like a blinding white on a black canvas.

Nya swallowed hard, and tried hard not to let the tears roll down her face. She remembered all of the times she would sit up in bed, screaming, calling out for Zane. Trying to save him. Then in the next moment she would realize that it was all just a dream.

Nya choked on the gathering emotion, but wouldn't let it show. Nevertheless, both Kai and Jay laid a hand on her shoulder as they stared at the stone.

It was obvious that they had not come here often, not like Nya had. She had always been the one to change the flowers, her days alternating with that of Zane's parents. When they saw each other, they never speak a lot. But the mutual respect and relation was enough for both of them.

Wu stood back from it all, watching with regret deep in his eyes. He knew Zane. According to his memories, anyway. He had been a good kid.

Wu watched as the girl Nya finally let a tear slip, and she briefly wiped it away like it was a pesky fly.

The boy next to her, Jay, turned towards her and pulled her gently into an embrace. Nya seemed to relax within his hold, and simply mourned her friend.

Out of the corner of his eye, Wu saw Kai was walking towards him, his eyes not meeting Wu's. Then Kai came to a stop in front of him, and looked him over mildly, as if studying him.

"So." Kai said. "You're...my dad."

Wu took a deep inhale. "Really, it's...only if you want me to be." he said.

Kai nodded slightly, acknowledging him in silence.

"So." said Kai after a small moment of silence passed. "What are you going to do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the portal's gone. Are you going to sail back to Ninjago?"

Wu looked down at the ground, a small smile pulling on his lips.

"I will not be going back to Ninjago." said Wu. "At least not until the fifteen years are over."

"You're staying here?" Kai asked, and he sounded shocked. "Why? I thought Ninjago was your home."

Wu fidgeted slightly with his hands, suddenly not knowing exactly how to put talk to him.

"I..." Wu hesitated. "I'm going to stay here. On the Dark Island...with you."

"With...me?" Kai said, still sounding surprised. "What do you mean?"

"You're my son." said Wu. "I...I haven't been apart of your life for so long, because I wasn't able to. And I want to make up for that."

Kai scoffed, but said nothing else.

Wu continued. "I haven't been part of your life before now. But I want you to understand that it was not my fault. I'm ready to stay here, Kai. I'm staying here with you and the townspeople, and I'm here to live a new life. And I want you to be a part of it."

Kai looked at him for a long second, and stuffed his hands deep into his pockets. "I just..." said Kai. "I already have a father. His name is Michael."  
"I understand." said Wu gravely. "I am just asking you to give me a chance."

"How can I?" Kai said softly, but suddenly he sounded angry. "Am I just supposed to forgive you for everything that you've done? You helped create Lloyd, which almost killed my friends. My family. The townspeople. Me."

"I know." Wu said in a whisper.

Kai breathed heavily, almost panting, his eyes pinned on his father.

Wu looked up at his son, and the remorse in his eyes was enough to make Kai's face soften.

"I am so sorry." said Wu, and his voice nearly broke. "But...you are the only family that I have. And I want you with me. And I want to fix it."

Kai didn't respond, but his expression was easier now. Without a word, he stuffed his hands into his pockets, burying them stoically in the cloth.

And then he met his father's eyes again, and gave a small nod of acknowledgment.

And somehow, Wu knew what it meant. They weren't alright yet, but they were going to be.

At that, Kai turned around from his father, and walked ahead of them. Wu followed closely behind him.

* * *

Everyone had left after Kai and Wu had, and now it was just Nya kneeling down by Zane's memorial.

Everything seemed to be so quiet, and so peaceful now that she was alone. Finally, she let the tears roll down her face, and let her sobs echo around her.

She stared at Zane's name through her blurry vision, wrinkling her lips as she pressed them tightly together.

"I'm sorry..." said Nya, and her speech was shaky, and quiet. "I'm so sorry, Zane. I wish...I wish that I could have been there for you."

No one responded to her heartfelt apology, except for the crickets nearby the area, and the soft wind that blew the leaves.

Nya dried her tears, and tried hard to ease her breathing.

"But I have to move on." Nya said, and now she was talking more to herself and than to Zane. "I...I need to move on. It had been your time, hadn't it?"

Nya thought back to all of the times that Zane's parents had told her the same thing, whenever they met to share their grief. They had realized it sooner than she had that it was just meant to be this way.

She wished she had listened to them back then. She was listening to them now.

Nya laid a hand tenderly on Zane's stone, and ran her finger across the rough texture of the grave. She felt stray tears fall from her eyes and onto her lap.

"I love you." Nya whispered. "I will always love you. And I will always remember you."

She gave another sob, and then another. She bowed her head, leaning her forehead against the stone.

After a long minute of easing her breaths, and whispering to herself and to Zane, Nya looked up again.

She wiped the tears from her eyes, and wiped her hands on her clothes, looking at the words printed across it. Then she stood, and dusted off her jeans and then her hands. She was done.

Nya walked away from the stone, and met up with Jay who was standing a ways down the path, waiting for her. He wrapped an arm comfortingly around her shoulder, and immediately, Nya knew she wasn't alone this time.

And still the stone sits, in the middle of the clearing in the woods, as it was meant to be.

 **END**

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 **THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO READ THIS STORY. I REALLY HOPE YOU LIKED IT! IT HAS BEEN A PLEASURE WRITING FOR YOU ALL.**

 **THANK YOU.**  
 **-KTH1**


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